Lost Tombs of Soul Society
by NAO-chan33
Summary: The only answer Meigetsu Megumi gets from everyone is something along the lines of: "The future is the past and the past is the future. You will find the answers to your questions during your journey in time… So do not stop your pursuit at the final tomb because there is more in store for the ambitious seekers." How frustrating... (AU) (Hitsu x OC) (Indefinite Hiatus)
1. Introduction - Gathering the Members

_**Warning: I am not an archaeologist or a tomb raider. Please excuse any inaccuracies (if there are any) in the story. Also please take into consideration that I am merely taking a creative license.**_

 **This is my first time writing a Bleach fanfic. It is very AU and the story will be written in a new style. The semi-important scenes (generally) will be written as a journal entry (in Megumi's POV), but the important scenes will mostly be written in third-person narrative style. All names are written as last name and then first name. (For my Kuroko no Basuke fanfic readers, my editor just needs to finish editing, so that I can publish the rest of the chapters.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach** **.**

* * *

"And _why should I help you_?" A twenty five year old female tapped her finger on top of the desk, hardening her gaze towards the young twenty three year old heiress of the Kuchiki Family.

Rukia took a step forward. "Meigetsu-san, this is a great opportunity for you."

"Kuchiki-san-" She sighed.

" _Please_ …" The heiress smoothly interrupted with a content smile. "You can call me, Rukia."

"Well… Rukia-san. It is a great opportunity but…" This is when Meigetsu Megumi frowned. "You are essentially asking me to raid tombs."

She faltered before continuing. "Well… That's… But you have been searching for Soul Society for such a long time. Isn't it about time that your research comes into fruition?"

"Even so, it goes against my values as an archaeologist. I refuse to tarnish the tombs for wealth and prestige." Megumi turned her heel and picked up a few papers off the ground.

"I see. Well...I will come back again." Rukia bowed and proceeded to exit the room.

Megumi leaned against her desk, staring at the floor unhappily. Her hand tightened into a fist as the papers crinkled into folds. She shut her eyes tight and shook away her unpleasant yet tempting thoughts.

"Megumi." A white haired twenty five year old male interrupted her thoughts. His tan skin glistened from sweat. The towel around his neck indicated to Megumi that he had finished his kendo session. "If you really want to go, then go. You can just stop them from taking anything of cultural value."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Hitsugaya-san. Aren't you supposed to be with Hinamori-san right now? Why were you doing kendo?"

He wiped his skin with the towel again. "Her fiance is helping her out, so there's no need for me to be there too… And since I didn't get to exercise today..." The smirk graced his lips for a brief moment before it turned into a frown. "Don't change the subject."

She rubbed her temples. "...I just don't know. How am I supposed to stop them when I don't even know what they want?"

He took a sip of water before slamming the cup down onto the desk. "Then are you going to let them do whatever they want in the domain that we researched and wanted to look at for ourselves for so long?"

"NO!" Her fists shook as her electric blue eyes flared with underlying passion. "I won't let them."

"Then you have your answer." He motioned to her rose pink head briefly as he walked by her. "Sometimes, I think you think too much - even more than me."

She stopped herself from rolling her eyes and then proceeded to re-tie her medium long hair. "Whatever. I'll listen to what she has to say the next time she comes by before making a complete decision." She quickly sighed. "Hitsu-"

"I'll follow whatever decision you make." He sat down on his chair. "I trust you." His turquoise eyes locked with hers.

"Okay."

* * *

"I have already hired a personal doctor for the aftercare of every expedition we take on. His name is Ishida Uryuu." Rukia crossed her arms as she informed the two bodyguards.

"He's a good one. I'm amazed you got him to agree." The twenty three year old male grinned. He scratched the back of his head, messing with his orange hair.

"So will you take on these expeditions now?" A tint of impatience colored her voice. "I met your condition."

"Yes." The twenty six year old male's green eyes focused on the heiress. "Kurosaki Ichigo will act as the main bodyguard, while I will act as backup and guide us to safety in dangerous environments." His short messy black hair enhanced the rigid frown on his face.

"Basically, Ulquiorra means that we'll be taking on the expedition." Ichigo points to the calm male.

"In that case, here you go." Rukia handed the easygoing man a letter. "This will tell you the location, time, and date, along with what items you need and what you should probably expect during this expedition. You will also need to sign a waiver that says that during this trip, the Kuchiki Family is in no way liable for your injuries or death."

"Wonderful. Very likely to die, huh…" Ichigo grimaced before accepting.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll be signing it myself as well." Rukia murmured to the man. He laughed a little uneasily at that.

* * *

"I'll go." The twenty three year old female slammed her hands against the table enthusiastically. Her eyes almost sparkled. "I'm going. I'll definitely go. I accept!"

"Orihime… Don't you think that you should think about it before deciding on such a big decision?" Another twenty three old asked her with a huge sigh. His tall figure was a big contrast from Rukia.

"Sado! This is the best chance I'll get to even see such cultural relics and maybe… MAYBE WE'LL EVEN SEE GHOSTS!" The sparkle in her eyes grew brighter.

He buried his face in his hand. "That's your main goal, isn't it? Ghosts…"

"We can see if ghosts are truly incompatible with technology." She grinned, picking up her latest technological invention. "To think that I would get such a miraculous chance."

"I don't like ghosts, so I'll be your backup then."

"Sounds good to me!" Orihime then turned towards Rukia. "So when can we start? What do you need?"

"Uh, well…" The heiress seemed a little overwhelmed by Orihime's unexpected enthusiasm. "I'm surprised that you accepted that so easily… Don't you have several award ceremonies for your technological contributions coming up soon?"

"Who cares about some award when I can meet ghosts!" In the background, Sado gave a resigned sigh.

"But you're known as a genius when it comes to technology. I would have thought that you would have declined my offer-"

"Your offer is once in a lifetime. I can earn more awards in the future if I wanted to, but going into tombs?! When can that happen to me in the near future?" She swirled in her seat and grasped Rukia's hands. "I can't wait. I have to take this chance now before I regret it for the rest of my life."

Rukia's smile twitched as she gave a nervous laugh. "If you wish…"

* * *

"I have thought about your offer, Rukia-san." Megumi crossed her legs, leaning against the back of her chair. "What is it that you want from this expedition? If you cannot tell me, then I am unwilling to accept such an unclear motive."

Rukia sighed a little. "Is there no way for you to agree?"

"That is my condition. As long as it does not pertain to taking cultural relics for personal prestige and wealth, then I might consider your offer more positively."

Toushirou plopped down in the seat next to Megumi. "In other words, this is your only chance in trying to convince us to join your expedition. After all, Soul Society isn't that easy to find - even with the information you might already have."

"...I will tell you the truth." Rukia closed her eyes in resignation. "Do you know of my older brother, Kuchiki Byakuya?"

"Of course, except he disappeared a year ago and no one knows of his whereabouts." Megumi waited for her to speak. "And that's why you're now the heiress."

"Yes…" She clasped her hands together. "A year ago, my brother went on an expedition to discover the Soul Society Empire. However, at one point in his journey, we lost contact with him."

"Am I to presume that you believe him to be alive?" Megumi's gaze never wavered.

"..." She nodded hesitantly. "I know that it's hard to believe, but-"

"I understand, Rukia-san." Megumi twirled her side bangs thoughtfully. "I am sure you have reasons as to why you believe your brother is still alive and that it is not without evidence."

"..." Rukia gave a short curt nod and then gazed at the ground with a sad expression.

"I do not need you to show me your evidence or give me your reasons. That is just invading your own personal privacy." She paused before continuing. "So I am assuming that we will be entering the tombs that your brother has gone to, correct?"

"Yes." Her voice was soft for once.

"And that you will only take the items that give clues as to your brother's whereabouts?"

Her voice turned a little stronger. "Correct."

Megumi watched the young heiress carefully. "If you will allow us to handle those items with care and let us submit those items - if they are of cultural value - to the government for further inspection after the expeditions, then I will consider your offer."

Rukia's eyes brightened with hope. "In that case-"

Immediately, the female archaeologist interrupted. "However, you will need to promise us this through paper. I do not accept verbal promises."

"Of course! I am more than willing!" Rukia leaned forward with enthusiasm. "I will later send you the new contract." She then stood up, bowed to them once more, and exited the room happily.

After a few minutes of silence, Toushirou got up from his seat. "I'll start preparing for the long journey then."

Megumi's electric blue eyes narrowed as a sense of genuine discomfort pooled into her mind. "Why do I feel like this…?" Her rose pink hair feathered down, hiding her disturbed expression from the world.

"Megumi?" Toushirou called out to her.

She stiffened. "Yes?"

"...Are you okay?"

"Perhaps…" She stood from her seat, taking a deep breath. "Soul Society's waiting for us. Let's not keep it waiting." A confident smile graced her lips as she joined Toushirou in packing. He smiled a little before neutralizing his expression.

* * *

 **If you liked what you read… Then please review?**

 **Thanks!**


	2. Journal Entry 1

_**Warning: I am not an archaeologist or a tomb raider. Please excuse any inaccuracies (if there are any) in the story. Also please take into consideration that I am merely taking a creative license.**_

 **Here is the first journal entry. The date is written at the top of every entry. Kunshu is the last name of the current ruler of the country Megumi is from. In her journal entries, Megumi is way more casual than in real life, which is why she refers to everyone by their first name.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach** **.**

* * *

 _Ninth Day of the Fourth Month, Thirteenth Year of Kunshu's Reign_

Toushirou and I have finally arrived at the location and met with the other group members.

-Kuchiki Rukia (23) - Sponsor; Current Heiress of Kuchiki Family ( _I'm amazed that she managed to convince the family to let her go on this journey…_ )

-Kurosaki Ichigo (23) - Main Bodyguard; Famous for Unbeatable Record of Fighting ( _Another 23 year old… I don't know how I feel. He seems easygoing and nice though._ )

-Inoue Orihime (23) - Technologist; Genius in Inventing New Technologies; Her inventions will record our entire journey through pictures and videos. ( _I never thought that I would meet someone like her… She seems energetic. I suppose being in her company won't too bad. Maybe._ )

-Cifer Ulquiorra (26) - Bodyguard; Focuses on Keeping Us Safe in Dangerous Environments ( _Seems a bit too quiet. Doesn't really smile either. Wonder if I'll get along with him. He's older than Toushirou and me by a year._ )

There was a doctor and another technologist, but I can't really remember much about them. They aren't going on the journey with us, so there's no point in remembering their names.

Anyways, at least Toushirou will be here with me… I have to say that I am quite discouraged as he seems to fit in with everyone so easily despite being quiet. I wish I could do that. Nevertheless, that is not the focus of the meeting.

During this meeting, we discussed our journey in greater detail. It seems like Rukia has bits and pieces of information from when they were still in contact with her brother. Some of it aligns with what we researched so far in regards to Soul Society, so I am quite excited about this confirmation. Since I brought Toushirou into the messy mystery of Soul Society, I intend to show him the unraveling and resolution of that mystery. Hopefully, this expedition will let me do that for him.

Going back to the meeting… We will be having around 3-4 expeditions in total. Our destinations will be in the following order:

Group 1 \- _Arashi Rikujou, Doku Mori, Shi no Tochi, Kogeru Tsuki_

Group 2 \- _Kaze no Bakudan, Hone no Hana, Gen-ei no Mori, Sakasa no Kiri_

Group 3 \- _Midori no Kitai, Shiroi Hotaru, Shikaku no Hachi, Shounetsu Jigoku_

Group 4 \- _UNKNOWN_ ( _Depends on the outcome of the first three expeditions.._.)

I'm already dreading the first expedition. Was this really a good idea? I should have thought through this… But… Soul Society… It's my life's work. I need to follow through with it as a researcher and as an archaeologist. And yet… What is this terrible feeling in my stomach? Toushirou told me that it was probably a minor stomach ache, but I really don't think it's because of something I ate. It could be nothing… Just like he said, maybe it's just a stomach ache… Probably due to stress… But why? Why do I feel like it's not that? At the very least, Toushirou looks confident and at ease.

For now, I will tread through this carefully…

 _quod erat demonstrandum._

Megumi

* * *

 _ **Note: 'quod erat demonstrandum' is used to convey that a fact or situation demonstrates the truth of one's theory or claim, especially to mark the conclusion of a formal proof. In this case, Megumi is using it to convey that everything she wrote in the journal entry demonstrates the truth of her experience during the expedition.**_

 **If you liked what you read… Then please review?**

 **Thanks!**


	3. Journal Entry 3 - Doku Mori

_**Warning: I am not an archaeologist or a tomb raider. Please excuse any inaccuracies (if there are any) in the story. Also please take into consideration that I am merely taking a creative license.**_

 **Here is the other journal entry. Ignore the number it is assigned as. (The next chapter will not be in journal entry format.)**

 **NOTE: Please be sure to read the chapters in order of publication (meaning chapter numbers) because if you try to read the journal entry in order of the number it is assigned (meaning journal entry numbers), you'll end up reading the spoilers and the story will be messed up if you try to read it that way. So read it normally (and ignore the titles of the chapters if anything).**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach** **.**

* * *

 _Sixteenth Day of the Fourth Month, Thirteenth Year of Kunshu's Reign_

I finally have the chance to write about our trip to Doku Mori in greater detail… A lot has happened since my first journal entry, but I'll do my best to recount everything. I only hope - _with bountiful doubt_ \- that we will face fewer troubles in the near future.

After we got our vaccinations and checkups done by Doctor Ishida ( _finally remember his name)_ , the beginning went quite smoothly. We made sure that we packed enough and went over the safety procedures with the two bodyguards. We also established that we will go to Doku Mori first for convenience purposes… Whatever that's supposed to mean...

Strangely enough, I didn't notice this previously because I was too focused on my personal thoughts during the first meeting...but it appears Ichigo and Orihime knew each other from before. Feels a little awkward. I wonder why? Ichigo appears to be happy to see her, but Orihime seems conflicted between happy and despair. Someone once told me that females usually look that way when they either broke up with the person they are currently interacting with or when they had a one-sided crush or love with them. I wonder which one… But that's not my problem.

Anyways, where was I? Oh yes… There's already an odd dynamic going on in our group. Ulquiorra only interacts with us to a minimum, but I feel comfortable talking to him over everyone else; that seems to be the case with Orihime as well. While he isn't very talkative, he prefers to interact with the energetic Orihime and myself over the other people, which is nice. He's very knowledgeable about the environment, so that's what we mostly talked about.

Rukia and Ichigo tend to treat each other like equals as they fight one-on-one. Interestingly, Rukia has the upper hand all the time. When Ichigo feels down, she easily makes him feel better. It's a positive thing to see. But… I wonder why he has to tease Toushirou all the time. It's not like Toushirou's _that_ short. He's actually pretty tall. In fact, Ichigo is abnormally tall, so it's quite unfair to call Toushirou short. ( _Although that's because I get the brunt of Toushirou's bad mood afterwards… Haha… Sad life._ )

Toushirou has been in a bad mood since we got back from Doku Mori. I only hope that I can divert that annoyance towards something else… Poor tea… What has it ever done to you, Toushirou?

I think I'm a bit too tired to talk about the entire tomb exploration for today, so I'll probably summarize the parts of our journey that happened before we entered the tomb.

After we entered the small town that is near Doku Mori, we set up our base in its only hostel. It wasn't bad at all. ( _I shared a room with Rukia and Orihime, while Toushirou shared a room with Ichigo and Ulquiorra_.) The town was very communal in that everyone knew each other. The ground was packed with soil, instead of cement. Dry tan brown colors were everywhere, contrasting with the lively green forest of Doku Mori. Water was not abundant and yet it was not scarce. A slow paced lifestyle… It was essentially the countryside. I briefly missed the normal toilets during my stay there. The squatting toilets were not very pleasant, but at least it wasn't terrible.

That being said, the hostel was homely and very cozy, despite the brown hues. The floor was also packed with soil and the beds… Well, they were clay beds, so I had an uncomfortable time sleeping. They did put a nice orange colored blanket underneath, which we used as a makeshift mattress. On the day we arrived, the weather was pulsing hot, so another blanket was unnecessary. Now that I think about it… It's quite odd. The weather in the town was burning hot and yet the weather and temperature inside the forest remained cool and warm. Must be due to the shadows of the trees...

Breakfast was simple for the next day. Soup and bread. The vegetable soup was packed with potatoes and carrots, while the bread was soft and filling.

When we met up for the morning meeting, I swear my heart almost flew out of my chest. Ulquiorra was always a really pale male. Don't get me wrong… But when he wore sunscreen on his skin, I thought that he was a ghost until I forced myself to remember that this was no haunted house. It was merely a hostel in a small town.

I informed the group of my preliminary knowledge of Doku Mori. Here were the main points:

1 - The forest is actually a relatively normal forest, but if you see golden leaves, it's best to leave the vicinity. Why? It's because poison is very prevalent in those areas. Anything the golden leaves touch will be tainted by poison.

2 - If you see a Jizou Statue, it means that you are close to the tomb. However, no one came back to the village after an attempted raid, except for one group. ( _I am speculating that the first successful group was Rukia's brother's group._ )

3 - It is said that the tomb is for the Twelfth Captain of Gotei 13 named Kurotsuchi Mayuri. Mad scientist in modern terms. Experimented as much as possible on anything or anyone if allowed, including himself. Sadistic and cruel. Obsession for creating life out of nothing. Made significant contributions to the field of medicine ironically enough.

Now, there were some people (Orihime and the two bodyguards) who were unfamiliar with terms, such as Soul Society and Gotei 13… So I explained it to them in simple words.

1 - Soul Society was the name of an ancient military empire.

2 - Gotei 13 is the name of the military organization that contained thirteen different squads that you would join after graduating from their military academy.

3 - Within Gotei 13, each squad or division was led by a captain. They were usually the strongest of the division members. (Example: Twelfth Captain leads Twelfth Division, etc.)

…

So… What was the point in writing all that?

…

I don't know why I wrote that myself. Drawing up a blank here...

Anyways, when we first entered the forest, the dew on the leaves glistened in the light. I relished in the glowing beauty of the nature around me. The brown colors were not of the dry kind, but of the drenched kind. Droplets of water trickled down our surroundings. It was almost as if the dry town was just an illusion.

The wind was so gentle… The smell of the fresh air kept me content, but there was a tension in the air as if something was obviously deceiving me… It kept me on my toes and yet I felt unnaturally relaxed at the same time.

 _Paradox._

I felt something clench at my heart and it was getting harder to breathe.

( _I'm getting chills down my spine. To think that I would get caught up in such a…_ )

The green trees were filled with life as usual. The bushes were of the same. The small rabbits looked soft and the sky was light blue. So what on earth was wrong?

 _It's not like there were any golden leaves._

I walked and walked in the silence. It was a comfortable silence. I could have relished in it. I could have ignored the warning signs.

But my stomach dropped and I stopped walking.

 _Unnatural silence._

Something was clearly wrong.

The silence was there.

The silence…

 _The silence._

When I turned around, no one was around me. My heart pounded and I inwardly panicked. Taking deep breaths was all I could do before thinking about what to do next. When I closed my eyes, I heard a soft cry.

 _Someone was calling my name._

Once I decided to myself that I needed to follow the source of this cry, I ran. I ran until I breathed hard. I ran until I was sweating hard.

But the sound remained far.

So far from me...

 _How could I have been this stupid?_

It was only when someone or something whacked me in the face that I found myself lying down on the ground. Toushirou's face looked serious as always, but I could see the worry that lingered in his expression. ( _On that note, my cheek still hurts. I should put some cream on.. Nevermind. Seems like Toushirou is doing that for me. Thank you to whoever it is that gave me such a wonderful work partner. What would I do without him?_ )

Anyways, he told me that I accidentally inhaled some poison that gave me serious hallucinations and that I almost went into the area where the golden leaves were located. It wasn't until Ichigo restrained me to the ground and Toushirou whacked me in the face to get me to wake up after injecting the antidote into me. ( _Was it impossible to find another method to wake me up from my hallucinations? I guess I should be grateful to be alive._ )

Some archaeologist I am… Seriously embarrassed myself by getting caught in something that _I_ warned _them_ about.

Once I was fully awake, we continued on our journey. I made sure to stand next to Toushirou. ( _He has more common sense and awareness than me. Can't make the same mistake again._ ) Ulquiorra led the front with his stoic expression, while Ichigo stood at the back, proceeding cautiously. Orihime timidly stood behind Ulquiorra and we casually stood behind her. Rukia was behind us and was being just as cautious as Ichigo. The tension had considerably risen since I was poisoned by a leaf that was tainted by the golden leaf's poison.

Apparently… While I was unconscious from the poison, the capable fighters of the group determined that it was best to pair up for emergency reasons, so Orihime was with Ulquiorra, Rukia was with Ichigo, and I was with Toushirou. Not really sure how the pairs were decided, but I didn't complain. Toushirou is a master swordsman, so there's nothing much to worry about, especially since he brought his special katana with him. I just needed to focus on lessening his burden in protecting me.

After a few hours of endless walking and brief breaks in between, Ulquiorra pointed out that we had reached the end of the non-golden leaf area. The moment he said that, I was horrified because that either meant that we had missed the Jizou Statue or that we were missing the bigger picture on how to find the entrance of the tomb.

The golden leaves in a nearby area glistened like the sheen of real gold, almost taunting us for our possible failure in our expedition. It almost tempted me to burn down the entire area, but that would have been foolish of me because it would only spread the poison to other areas and would most likely kill innocent people. I then sighed to myself, thinking of other possibilities and information that I must have missed in my studies and research on Soul Society. It was only after I finished discussing with Toushirou about potential hints that Rukia pulled out her brother's information booklet.

Rukia pointed out that her brother's group had also reached a dead-end when they followed the non-golden leaf pathway. While it was not said in great detail, they apparently found a hidden pathway that eventually led them to a burial site of the dead that the twelfth captain experimented on. Hundreds of skulls poked out of the ground, melted pieces of finger bones remained in the dirt, and the stench of blood permeated the air. Maggots and flesh-eating bugs lingered in the area, waiting for their next victim. Needless to say, it did not sound pleasant.

We finally decided to examine the area carefully. I, for one, checked the bushes, hoping to find a burrow or a tunnel that was made out of plants. It took almost thirty minutes before I found a dead bush. In order to take a closer look, I went on my knees to check on the roots and ground first. But that was when I felt a presence standing behind me. I assumed that it was Toushirou or one of the members until a foot kicked me in the butt _really hard._

Surprised, my mind only processed that the force of the kick was abnormally too strong to be a mere prank. My hand expected to touch the dirt ground, but the moment I realized that I felt nothing, except air, I let out a scream. Particles of dust and dirt smacked me in the face, causing me to cough and close my eyes. My arms and legs tried to find proper grounding, but it only increased the speed at which I was rolling down the tunnel. When I finally landed on my back, feeling a little dizzy, I rubbed my head and checked my body's condition. ( _At least I didn't hit my face on the ground. I don't know how I would take that._ )

But still! The landing was really painful and I curse whoever it was that kicked me in the butt! My grudge remains strong… Even now… Maybe.

The moment I opened my eyes, I was face-to-face with a short stone statue. Its unusual black and white eyes stared back at me, instilling a strange sense of fear in me.

 _But that's strange! After all… It's only a statue..._

But… If it's supposed to be the Jizou Statue, then why is it not smiling? Why does it have eyes? It had its usual praying form, but the abnormally new red cloth that was wrapped around its neck utterly creeped me out.

I slowly backed away from it until Toushirou called out to me up above. After I assured him that all was fine, they all slid down the tunnel to meet up with me, praising my ability in finding the damn statue.

I was oddly miffed by the entire situation though, so I stopped them from praising me further.

It was enough that I had embarrassed myself earlier…

I refuse to receive praise that I clearly did not deserve.

On that note, I ended up asking everyone as we walked through the tunnel if they were the ones who kicked me…

A chilly wind brushed against me mockingly when they all answered negative.

 _How strange…_

It was only after Rukia pointed out a tiny footprint on my butt that I was reminded of when Toushirou told me that the ghosts of young children lingered in this forest… According to him, many children used to die by getting lost in the areas of the golden leaves, never to leave the poison of silence ever again.

 _Somehow…_ I hope it's not true and yet… _Somehow_ … I hope it's true from the bottom of my heart.

Because at the very least, the children can play together in this forest instead of being alone for the rest of their afterlife.

And just as Rukia's brother wrote down in his booklet, we found the burial site of the dead with an already buried entrance. In fact, the huge man-made hole on one side of the burial that her brother's group probably made covered all of the previously made entrances annoyingly enough.

Enough about that.

The burial's dirt glowed a light brown color and remained dry with hints of unnatural red, while bugs invaded the skulls and bones of the ancient dead.

 _Disgusting._

I sneezed a couple of times when we walked through the burial, forcing me to use an air filter mask to protect my sensitive nose. In that sense, it's amazing that I'm an archaeologist...

The moment we found a potential spot to dig for an entrance, Toushirou and I went straight to work, finding out how deep we needed to dig, as we instructed the two bodyguards on what to do next.

 _It was time to dig an entrance into the tomb site._

And so we did…

Fourteen inches of digging through blood red dirt...

 _The stench of death was apparent._

The remnants of human bones… The hungry plump bugs...

Orihime looked vaguely sick but handled it well. The extremely durable and miniscule cameras in her hair pins and hair tie, along with the small indestructible video camera in her choker captured the views of the burial site and entrance of the tomb properly. Rukia appeared to be completely calm as if unaffected. I was somewhere in the middle, keeping my air filter mask on.

Toushirou continued without any sense of revulsion. I almost envied that ability of his. Once we broke down the brick wall with our shovels, a sense of excitement bubbled inside of me.

 _This was exactly what I was waiting for: a chance to uncover the secrets of Soul Society._

 _The legend of the Soul King._

 _The Ouken..._

 _The power of the Shinigami Soldiers, the connection of Souls with their weapons, and the lost Empire._

 _Previous researchers believed that the grounds in which the captains' tombs lay are the grounds of Soul Society, but I believe it to be false. While it is called Soul Society, it is not the true Soul Society..._

 _From my own research, Seireitei is the true grounds of Soul Society and if we can find that, then we can find the lost tomb of the Soul King… A mere legend that no one ever believed to have existed._

 _The key to the truth._

Ulquiorra was the first to enter, making sure that it was safe to go inside. We all then pulled out our flashlights before following suit.

Goosebumps lingered on my skin. The temperature was chillier than I expected.

Even though I thought that the smell was terrible up above… The murderous scent of rotting flesh and the explosion of dark spots in the stoned chamber room hovered over us. However, that was not the only thing that bothered me. It was the fact that the others complained about the pressure that they felt on their shoulders and back - as if a heavy cloak fell over them.

A pit in my stomach. My racing heart.

None of it made sense.

 _Since there was nothing there…_

I checked the room with my flashlight and found an open pathway, waiting to be explored. Leading the others and checking for traps, we eventually reached two large doors.

An intricately designed artwork laid on the stone doors with two corpses… Let me correct myself. With two skeletons hanging on the sides of the doors.

The terrifying face of the Twelfth Commander grinned at the visitors. A cross was carved across the center of his face, hiding everything but his nose and lower chin, which had a long attachment as if it was a beard. A frame was carved around his face and his hair looked more like horns that sloped down from the top of his head.

Orihime asked me if he was a demon, but when I told her that it was the Twelfth Commander, the color of her skin turned a shade lighter. I wondered briefly if I should have just joked around instead, but the damage was already done. I'm sorry, Orihime.

Toushirou admired the beauty of the artwork, while I searched for an opening mechanism.

Usually, the opening mechanisms are hidden inside of the statues' mouths that you would have to open with someone else at the same time, but there were only two skeletons.

I grimaced. Toushirou frowned.

I took out plastic gloves and handed one to Toushirou.

 _To think that I would stick my hand inside of a skull…_

 _I apologize in advance to the dead._

And I was unfortunately right. The stone door opened easily by itself.

Orihime asked me again on how the opening mechanisms ended up inside of the skulls. I could not answer her… Not because I did not know what the answer was since I unfortunately knew the answer, but it was rather because I did not want to further traumatize her of the idea on how cruel and sadistic this bastard of a commander actually was.

To think that he would insert such a mechanism inside of someone who was still alive…

Death by starvation or pain… Both seem plausible at this point.

It was only the beginning of the end.

 _quod erat demonstrandum._

Megumi

* * *

 **Thank you to everyone who followed my story: tichnor6 and zitag.**

 **If you liked what you read… Then please review?**

 **Thanks!**


	4. The Tomb of Doku Mori

_**Warning: I am not an archaeologist or a tomb raider. Please excuse any inaccuracies (if there are any) in the story. Also please take into consideration that I am merely taking a creative license.**_

 **And now they explore the tomb together.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach** **.**

* * *

Fourteenth Day of the Fourth Month, Thirteenth Year of Kunshu's Reign

Megumi shivered involuntarily as the door swung open. The cold wind caught her off-guard. Noticing this, Toushirou stood closer to her. After checking that she was fine, his eyes flickered of hidden unease.

"Where to next?" Orihime inquired the group.

Rukia flashed her light around the room they entered. "There seems to be two pathways… My brother's booklet doesn't contain a map, so I can't be of much help."

Orihime began walking closer to one pathway when Megumi called out to her. "Inoue-san! Don't go over there alone." Before she could go back to the group again, her foot got caught on something firm and cold.

"Oof." Her arms slid against the stone floor roughly. "That hurt. What on earth was that?"

Megumi paused. Her hand shook - even though she willed it to stop. The underlying fear and disbelief reflected from her inability to shine the light properly towards Orihime as she had found something with her flashlight that she desperately hoped was not real. The light flickered. Her breaths turned shallow, focusing on the small dark round shadow that seemed to grow a centimeter every second.

Rukia took a step back, seeing what Megumi noticed. "I-Inoue… I think you should keep walking over to us and not look at what you fell over." She motioned for the female technologist to hurry.

Megumi immediately latched onto Toushirou's arm. Her electric blue eyes narrowed towards the location next to Orihime. Toushirou noticed her twitch a little. He calmly observed her strange behavior. "Megumi?" His eyes followed her line of sight before turning still. He was no longer relaxed.

"Kuchiki-san…? Why are you saying such scary things?" Orihime's voice became shaky as her legs felt too heavy from fear.

In the corner of Megumi's eye, she soon found the big shadow heading towards Orihime at an abnormally fast speed. "MOVE, INOUE-SAN!" Her heart thudded against her rib cage. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She wanted to push her out of the way, but her legs remained still - as heavy as lead. A sense of despair hovered over her.

 _Was it too late?_

Those thoughts vanished when Toushirou pulled her behind him. Startled, her attention reverted back to Toushirou. He already had his katana out. The polish on the long blade comforted her, reminding her that she had his protection.

The seconds of comfort dissipated when Orihime turned her head in the direction that Megumi looked at previously and let out a high-pitched scream. "GO AWAY!" With the light on the shadow, everyone saw a ginormous fat creature that was reminiscent of a maggot jumping towards her with its round mouth open, ready to chew on its target with its sharp triangle shaped teeth.

 _Crack!_

The creature flew backwards, squirting its unnaturally green guts onto the floor in the opposite direction of them. The glowing green blood pooled around the body. The creature continued to twitch.

Everyone froze as Ulquiorra picked up Orihime from the ground and kept his gun leveled with the grotesquely alive creature. She leaned against him for support, breathing steadily, despite her shock.

"Nice aim, Ulquiorra!" Ichigo called out to his work partner as he leveled his own gun, shining the flashlight to every possible location. "Where on earth did that creature come from?"

"I never thought that such a creature would be alive." Megumi murmured to Toushirou, who nodded in agreement.

"Do you know what that thing is, Meigetsu-san?" Rukia frowned at the creature that Ulquiorra shot a few more bullets at. It finally stopped moving.

"It's called _Namami no Uji_. We call it _Namaji_ for short." Toushirou explained further. "According to the stories we heard of Kurotsuchi Mayuri, he had done considerable experiments on maggots and other creatures… Even on humans... However, one of the experiments that he did with non-humanoids ended in a disaster and he was never able to complete it."

" _Namaji_ was a part of that experiment. In actuality, they were all considered to be failures, so there weren't a lot of details about that particular experiment unfortunately… Except for a few images, which is how I recognized _Namaji_. But… I do remember one document in particular about the _Namaji_. It was said that they were good at cleaning up messes." Megumi's finger tapped at her lips thoughtfully.

Toushirou warned the group. "Don't let your guards down. For all we know, the mess that the document mentioned could have been about the messes left behind after the experiments, meaning bodies that were either dead or alive."

Megumi's eyebrows then furrowed in frustration. "Usually, the stated procedure was to destroy any traces of the failures from the experiments done by Kurotsuchi-san, but I'm starting to wonder how much of it was a lie and how little of it was the truth."

Toushirou pointed out. "It could be that Kurotsuchi Mayuri destroyed the information portion of the experiments, but kept the failures for himself in case they were useful for something in the future."

"Or…" Megumi's grip on his arm sleeve tightened. "Perhaps the experiments were actually a success to Kurotsuchi-san himself." The implications of her devastating thought forced a shiver down her spine. "Perhaps since they were a success, he had to keep it a secret from the rest of the Empire by claiming it to be a failure - in order to hide what he truly wanted to use them for."

"...To hide what he wanted to use them for. But what exactly did he want to use them for?" Orihime's voice quivered.

"I wish I knew. If we could find the main tomb room, we could probably find some clues... But if it really was just a failure, then that would be a relief though." Megumi sighed in frustration. "We need to proceed carefully from now on. So let's stick with our partners for safety concerns."

"Agreed." Rukia stood closer to Ichigo.

Orihime held onto Ulquiorra's arm as he examined the _Namaji_ up close. "The inside of the _Namaji_ appears to be harmless." His voice held a certainty. "The green liquid is essentially similar to the process of cremation." The moment he said that, the creature's body and guts dissipated into thin air, leaving no trace behind of its presence.

The orange-haired technologist's eyes narrowed. "If Kurotsuchi-san was such a genius, then why didn't he make the _Namaji_ be able to recognize what the messes of the experiments are? Why did it try to attack me? Was I considered to be a mess or-"

"Inoue-san. We don't know yet. So why don't we move forward instead?" Megumi tiredly interrupted the overexcited female. The slight exasperation was obvious in her eyes.

Ichigo activated a bright glow stick and threw it into one of the pathways. He then used his flashlight to see the surroundings. "I don't think we should enter this one. Doesn't seem safe."

"What do you mean?" Rukia walked over to him.

"See for yourself." They all huddled around him to take a better look.

Megumi grimaced and hid her face in Toushirou's shoulder. He held her for a moment before she walked towards the other pathway. "Do they look familiar to you, Rukia-san? You once told me that you knew how the members who went with your brother looked like."

"They don't look familiar." She answered.

"In that case, let's go to the other one." After testing the hallway for any traps, Ichigo led everyone into the darkness. They steadied their flashlights as the scent of death began fading away. A gust of wind blew through them until they reached a dead end.

"Now what?" Orihime asked the two archaeologists.

"This…" Toushirou took a closer look at the brick wall. "These inscriptions… Megumi!"

"I see them. To think that we would find it here…" She pulled Orihime towards the wall. "Take pictures of these. This is amazing!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Rukia walked over to them.

" _The War of Hueco Mundo..._ " Megumi traced the letters. "I can't read all of it completely, but I'll try to translate it."

"Go ahead." Toushirou pulled out a notebook and a pen. "I'm ready."

"For years, there were no signs of winning on both sides of the war. The land of Hueco Mundo remained stagnant with no ruling power, but that had all changed when the Twelfth Commander, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, succeeded in his experiments. With the strength of his power, Hueco Mundo returned to its former state as the land of white sand for not a single drop of blood and not a single scent of death remained. Now rejoice! For you have been chosen to be honored by his very presence… The ruler of Hueco Mundo and the living proof of his power!" Megumi's voice echoed in the hallway as all stayed silent.

"The living proof of his power? There's nothing here." Ichigo scratched the back of his head.

"It said for years, Hitsugaya-san… That contrasts with what we found from previous research." She tapped her lips again in a contemplative manner with her ungloved hand.

"Then the _Namaji_ must be the living proof of his power." Toushirou put the notebook and pen back in his pocket. "It's probably also the reason for their win in the War of Hueco Mundo."

"Why hasn't anyone discovered this yet? It's weird that many downplayed the war." Frustration lingered in her voice.

"We'll just be the first to dispute it then." Toushirou then pointed to the side wall. "Check this out." There were several aligned bricks that stuck out of the wall, but the one that he wanted her to see was smeared with something dark. "Shine the light here."

Megumi shined the light up above the stain. "It's… What do you think this is? I would say blood, but it doesn't look right… Almost gooey. But no one has been in here for a long time."

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Toushirou murmured to her.

"What?"

"We already scouted the town… The last time someone came here was Rukia's brother's group." He sniffed at the stain. "It smells metallic."

Unease flickered in her eyes. "It could be the stone though."

"True, but it looks too fresh." He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Then is there someone here with us?" Orihime interrupted the two. She inched a bit closer to them. "Please tell me that is not what you're saying."

Megumi answered her. "It's not for-"

"Uh… You guys?" Ichigo's strained voice called out to them. "You guys, I think you should turn around and find an exit..."

"Kurosaki-san, what on earth is wrong-" Megumi faced in his direction and immediately jumped back against the wall in shock. " _Fuck_. Was not expecting that." Her palms became sweaty and clammy as she harshly tugged at Toushirou's arm sleeve for his attention. When he raised his head, she pointed in the direction of the source of her shock.

Hundreds of people marched towards them, but their footsteps were too soft to hear. They had glowing green eyes, unnaturally silky black hair, and pale white skin, but what terrified Megumi the most was the uniform that they wore: a white under clothing, a black small sleeve, a black hakama, a white hakama-himo, a white foot pouch, and a waraji.

 _It was the uniform of the Shinigami soldiers._

A chill went down her spine. "Hitsugaya-san, is there no way out? There is no way in hell we can fight with those soldier zombies - even with two or three who can fight!" Turning back towards the dead-end, she traced the outlines of the wall desperately. "Knowing Kurotsuchi-san, those soldiers were part of the experiment that we read about last week!"

"Most likely." Toushirou agreed as he began tapping the blood-stained area with his fist. Ichigo shined the light for him. "Bring it closer, Kurosaki."

"Got it." Ichigo then kept the light steady.

Orihime tapped Megumi's back to alert her. "They're coming closer!"

"I know!" The thick outlines of bricks on the side walls and the dead-end reminded her vaguely of the image of Kurotsuchi Mayuri on the door that they first went through. "Think Megumi! Think! The cross! Center! Attachment… Horns…" She then kept her ear close to the wall, tapping each area, while Toushirou focused on the area with the unknown stain.

 _Crack!_

Ulquiorra shot at one of the soldiers who were getting a bit too close for comfort to the group. The soldier flew backwards and landed on the other soldiers, stopping their march temporarily, as the red blood spilled out of the injured soldier's wound. "Well that answers your question on where that blood comes from, Meigetsu."

The sound of the gunshot caused a panic in Megumi's electric blue eyes. "Don't tell me that you shot at him!" The moment she said that, the body started to glow an orange light. "Fucking hell. I should have told-"

"Problem?" The lack of fear in his voice made her speechless.

She desperately pulled the arms of the people closest to the soldier towards the dead-end. "They have biological bombs in their bodies!" Her heart raced and she briefly wondered if they would survive the blast.

From the side, Toushirou pushed in a brick, opening a hidden pathway. "Hurry up and get in!"

"GET DOWN!" Ichigo cried out, pulling Rukia under him as the blast pushed them into the room further. Orihime screamed when she crashed into Ulquiorra.

"HITSUGAYA-SAN!" Megumi screeched out his name as he slammed his fist against the brick to close the door. As the door began closing, the extra force of the blast caught him off-guard, pushing him into the air.

The moment Megumi heard the other soldiers exploding, her eyes flickered into intense concentration and the pounding in her ears became stronger. She breathed hard and a burst of mental strength pushed her into calculating the exact spot that Toushirou would land. Her legs then gathered an enormous amount of energy as she willed them to move in half a second, managing to reach Toushirou and pulling him down towards her. As soon as the door closed, another extra force from an explosion hit them relentlessly and they ended up slamming against the wall harshly. Without giving them a chance to recover, the two fell unconscious.

* * *

A sharp pain shot through the side of Megumi's head, arm, and back. As she started to wake up, the ache in her body became more apparent to her.

"Who the hell are you?!" The voice sounded like Ichigo, but she could not be too sure. Feeling a bit groggy, she opened her eyes, finding a young woman with dark purple hair and a similar but slightly modified version of the Shinigami soldier's uniform.

"Who…?" Her throat felt parched from the earlier screaming.

"Drink this. It will help your throat feel better." The young woman tilted a test tube towards Megumi's mouth as she accepted it absentmindedly, swallowing the sweet green liquid. Her head felt so foggy.

"Oi, I'm talking to you-" Ichigo's voice got cut off by the sound of something being smacked. "Ow!"

"Ichigo, can't you see that she's helping us?" Annoyance lingered in Rukia's voice. "If she hadn't helped you earlier, than you would still be out like a light!"

"...Really?"

After those words, Megumi's body returned back to its original state. All the scrapes and dizziness she had earlier disappeared as if they were never there from the beginning. She sat up from her spot and immediately searched for Toushirou's whereabouts.

"Megumi, how do you feel?" She turned her head. Toushirou stood tall with no injuries as he gave her his hand. Relief that her work partner was okay pooled into her eyes.

She took his hand and stood up. "I'm feeling way better. It's as if I never felt pain from the start. How about you?"

He fixed the turquoise sash for his katana. "I'm fine. You were bleeding pretty hard, you know."

Startled at this new information, she touched her head and face. "Oh." Her blood was now on her hands. "I really am bleeding, but I don't feel any injury there."

"The Hojiku-Zai healed your wounds." The young woman answered her unsaid question.

"Was that the liquid that I just drank?" Megumi inquired.

The lady nodded in reply. "It was the last one I had. The rest were already given to everyone else."

"But why? Judging by your outfit, you must also be one of Kurotsuchi-san's experiments…" Megumi watched her contemplatively. "After all, it's impossible for anyone to still be alive."

"Unless she's a ghost." Orihime whispered to Ulquiorra. Her eyes sparkled with fascination.

Megumi sighed. "Inoue-san, I doubt she's a ghost since she's solid and a ghost isn't."

Orihime scratched the back of her head and laughed. "That's true…"

"Someone asked me to guide you to Mayuri-sama's main tomb. That is all." The mysterious woman motioned for everyone to follow her. Her hand cut in a straight line in front of her before a gust of wind entered the room. Everyone covered their eyes as they heard a strange tearing sound.

"What the hell is that?" Ichigo asked out loud.

"This is the only way to enter Mayuri-sama's tomb. Please follow me." She turned on her heel and walked into the black pathway casually.

Ulquiorra began walking towards the pathway, but Ichigo stopped him. "Oi, Ulquiorra! Don't you think it's dangerous to go in like that?"

"If she wanted us dead, then she would have killed us all while we were passed out." At those words, he followed her. Eventually, everyone else followed suit.

"Toushirou, did you see what she did earlier to make that hidden pathway come out like that? I wish I didn't close my eyes, so that I could have taken a better look." Megumi frowned to herself with disappointment.

He shook his head. "I didn't see it, but for now, let's concentrate at the task at hand."

"You're right." She sighed a little. When someone grabbed her arm, she glanced at them with a startled expression. "Inoue-san?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. I just…" Orihime stared at the ground as if unsure as to why she was so nervous.

Megumi pat her hand reassuringly with a warm smile. "It's okay. Let's go together."

At that, Orihime's smile widened. "Okay!"

"Nee, Hitsugaya-san. There was no information about a female like her in the research done on Kurotsuchi-san, was there?" Megumi whispered to him.

"There was none. So I have no idea as to her identity or where she came about." He focused on the light coming out of the exit.

"How odd… You would think that there would be something about her… She seems too special to be just another minor experiment." Megumi muttered under her breath.

"We're here." The mysterious lady strode towards a white marbled coffin. Everyone in the group hesitantly followed after her.

The room they entered in was fairly simple. White marbled flooring and walls created an image that they were currently inside of an empty white box. No signs of windows, ventilation, doors, and buttons were found when they first glanced around the room. Interestingly, not even a speck of dirt was left on the walls and floor. The coffin remained unmoving and silent in the middle of the room.

"It's so clean in here…" Orihime whispered to Megumi who nodded in agreement.

"Excuse me." Rukia turned her attention back to the woman. "I wanted to ask you earlier but I didn't get the chance to…"

"Yes?"

"Who was this _someone_ that wanted you to guide us to Kurotsuchi-san's main tomb?" Rukia held onto her brother's booklet tightly. "Does it happen to be a dignified male who has long black hair?"

"I apologize, but I cannot answer that question." She bowed to the young heiress.

"What is your name?" Megumi called out to her.

Straightening her back again, she faced the young archaeologist. "My name is Nemu." Without waiting for further responses, she bowed to them again. "I will take my leave now, so please take your time exploring Mayuri-sama's tomb. I will come back when you are finished with your business with him."

"Wait-" Megumi ran over to her when a gust of wind surrounded Nemu. "Augh!" She tried to open her eyes, but the wind was too strong for her.

"Megumi!" Toushirou called out to her.

"I'm okay!" The wind finally subsided and Nemu had disappeared. "But she's gone. We could have probably learned more about Kurotsuchi-san from her..."

"Everyone!" Orihime motioned to the group. She leaned over the coffin, staring through the glass top. "You can see him… He looks so alive… Do you think his ghost is near us?"

"I don't think I would want to meet his ghost." Rukia murmured as she walked over to the tomb. "How was it even preserved like this? Everything looks so new and…" She touched the white marbled walls and parts of the stone floor. "It's so smooth as if polished daily."

Ichigo chuckled. "Maybe Kurotsuchi cleaned the place daily as a ghost."

"How does he look so alive?" Ulquiorra glanced down at the body with his usual frown.

Orihime tugged at his sleeve urgently. "Is it just me or do I see puffs of breath coming from him?"

Alarms rang in Megumi's mind. "Breath?" Toushirou joined her as they both ran over to the tomb. "You're right… This man... He's breathing!"

The man who should have been a corpse was breathing shallowly. "So this is Kurotsuchi Mayuri…" Toushirou muttered under his breath. A black cross was painted over the initial white paint layer covering Mayuri's face. On his chin, there was a long golden attachment, while his face was outlined by the golden frame. His shockingly blue hair looked more like horns that sloped down from the top of his head as it framed his face. Whenever he breathed through his mouth, they caught a glimpse of his very golden teeth.

"Was this guy seriously obsessed with gold?" Ichigo asked Megumi quietly.

"Ichigo." Rukia chided him.

"What! It's a serious question!" At first, the two challenged each other by glaring at one another, but in the next minute, they began tugging at each other's cheeks as if showing who was boss.

Orihime watched the two with envy until Ulquiorra tugged on her arm sleeve and pointed at the Twelfth Captain's unnaturally long fingernail. "Wow… He has such a long fingernail!"

"Enough." Toushirou glared at the two fighting. "We need to figure out how this mechanism works."

"Nee, Hitsugaya-san. I think I got something." Megumi stared at the materialized keyboard that appeared in front of her.

He searched the coffin. "What did you touch?"

"Honestly? I just touched the glass." She pointed to the glass top of the coffin. "But what are all these words on the glass that are appearing now… I can't read them. It's disappearing too quickly!"

"It said something along the lines of an amplifier. I couldn't see what that amplifier was used for..." Toushirou took a step closer. Megumi moved out of the way for him to take a better look. Orihime and Ulquiorra also backed away from the coffin with her. Rukia and Ichigo continued to stand next to Toushirou and the coffin.

"Inoue-san, are you disappointed that he wasn't a ghost?" Megumi leaned against the wall with an amused expression.

Orihime faced her, pouting to herself in utter disappointment. "Yes." Her pout dissipated as a grin graced her lips. "But Cifer-san noticed how long of a fingernail he had! It's so weird! I wonder if he used it for something important. Do you know?"

Ulquiorra stood next to Orihime with a neutral look. The two of them blocked her from seeing the coffin. "I didn't know that he had a long fingernail. I'll take a look after Hitsugaya-san is done examining the information shown on the glass. If we're lucky, it could have a lot of the answers to our questions."

"What the-" Ichigo sounded exasperated.

From the crack in between Ulquiorra and Orihime, Megumi spotted a large spherical device with an X-shaped lid, instead of the coffin. "Hey, what happened to the coffin, Toushirou?"

Before he could answer his coworker, Ichigo let out a short war cry. Everyone turned to see what he was fighting against. Goosebumps immediately appeared on Megumi's skin. The _Namaji_ had crawled from behind the sphere device and tried to attack Ichigo, but before it could even reach him, Ichigo had pulled out a dagger and slashed at it. The maggot-like creature flew into the device, letting its blood and guts slide out of its body. The creature continued to twitch until Ichigo sliced at it once more, moving it away from the device. The green blood and guts quickly dissipated into nothing, while the creature's body soon followed after. "Where the hell did that come from?!"

"I think it was stuck in the area that the device was stored in…" Rukia pointed out. "So when we released this spherical device, we also released the stuck _Namaji_."

"I hate those damn things. They're disgusting." Ichigo shook off the guts from his dagger, noting with pleasure that the guts were disappearing without much effort on his part.

The spherical device sparked. At first, Megumi thought that it was just her imagination, but the device sparked for the second time. "Get out of the way! It's going to explode!" She yelled.

The moment they turned to see the device, it glowed a white light, consuming them in seconds. Ichigo let out a surprised cry and Rukia covered her face with her arm. Toushirou's eyes widened in shock, unwilling to believe that he was going to die here. Ulquiorra let out a grunt as he pulled Orihime towards him to protect her, but the light consumed her as well.

Megumi crouched down against the wall. When the light touched her skin, a tingling sensation crawled inside of her blood, slowly burning as if her body was on fire. All she could remember were the screams that she heard around her until she noted that she herself was screaming as well. A sense of heaviness settled inside of her as she slumped down against the soothingly cold stone floor. Her nerves became sensitive to every movement as though someone was tearing apart her body in a sadistic manner. Her breath turned shallow and her pupils dilated. Beads of sweat trickled down her face. As the light faded away, she watched the others twitching in pain dispassionately.

In the next minute, the pain disappeared as though it was never there from the start. Confusion lingered in her mind when she hesitantly sat up from her spot and yet, there was no more pain. She pushed herself up from the ground and checked the others. Orihime and Ulquiorra were still squirming in pain, along with the other three who collapsed in front of the spherical device.

"Tsk. Tsk. To come into my room like the maggots that you are." A taunting voice interrupted her thoughts. "Not even worth experimenting on." A shiver went down her spine. Afraid of what she might see, she shut her eyes, but the voice continued. " _Onna_. Either you face me or I'll have to kill you."

Knowing full well of this terrifying man's reputation, she turned her heel to face him. A shockingly similar figure as the breathing corpse or body stood. It was as if Kurotsuchi Mayuri stood before her. "How…?"

"Hn. A brainless fool." Megumi was about to correct him, but he waved his arm as if moving on. "Doesn't matter. You will have to do."

"Are you going to possess me?" She was very serious when asking this. After all, who would want to be possessed by a mad scientist?

"As if I would need to possess you." That was when she noticed his figure flickering.

"You're a hologram, but how…?" Her electric blue eyes widened.

"I'm a genius." He sniffed in disgust at her.

She laughed nervously. "Of course… Never doubted that…"

He groaned in exasperation, wishing that it was someone else instead. Megumi felt highly insulted. " _Onna_ , since you were the first to recover, _Yami no Kage_ will belong to you."

Disbelief colored her voice. "What kind of deci-"

"Go to the Reiatsu Amplifier and you will find a button. Press the _red_ button and it will give you a box. Open the box and wear the necklace. It will be useful in your next trip to the tomb in _Arashi Rikujou_." The hologram motioned to her to hurry up and follow his directions. A bit miffed at his attitude, she stomped over to the spherical device that she guessed was the Reiatsu Amplifier and slammed her hand on the red button. "Don't treat my invention like that, you single-celled organism!" Her eyebrow twitched.

A deprecating shadow covered her face as she chuckled to herself evilly. She looked up at him with a sweet smile and said in a high-pitched girly voice, "So a single-celled organism, huh? Do you want to see what a single-celled organism can do, Kurotsuchi-san?" She outlined the blue button with her finger. "I wonder what this blue button does."

If it was possible for a hologram to sweat, Kurotsuchi Mayuri would be in that position. " _Onna_ , I'm warning you… Don't press that button… In fact, stay far far away from that amplifier unless you want your friends to be in pain again! Because if I disappear, then they will stay in pain until death!"

She glanced at Rukia and then smiled sweetly at the hologram. "Then tell me everything about Kuchiki Byakuya. After all, since you're such a genius, I'm sure you can remember if you met him or not." Her hand twitched as it hovered over the button. "Let's just say that I am just as patient as Zaraki Kenpachi is when he finds someone he wants to fight. In other words, I have no patience."

Mayuri's eyebrow twitched before he sighed. "Of course, I remember Kuchiki Byakuya. That man asked me to allow you brats to enter my domain and to make you all go to the tomb in _Arashi Rikujou_ with the necklace."

Megumi opened the small box and just as he said, there was a necklace inside. It was in the shape of an obsidian black sphere with a single eye in the middle of it. "What exactly is Reiatsu? Is that where your special power comes from?"

He chortled out loud at her question. "You're asking the wrong questions, _onna_. Come back again when you know what questions to ask me."

"What do you mean?"

"Hn… Your little friends should be feeling better now. Go check on them. But first, put on the necklace." The genius scientist stared down at her, pressuring her to follow his directions.

Annoyed at his insistence, she hurriedly snapped the necklace around her neck. "Happy?"

"Pleasantly."

She rolled her eyes before checking on everyone. "Are you okay, Rukia-san?"

Rukia grabbed Megumi's arm while massaging the side of her head. "It was so cold… I felt like my fingers and bones were going to break if I tried to move. And then when I moved..." She gave a short groan and with Megumi's help, she sat up, breathing hard. Sweat formed on the side of her face. "I never want to go through that again…"

From behind them, Ichigo groaned as he sat up. "What the hell… I feel like I just went through a torture session. So much stabbing. My body… Augh…"

Ulquiorra grunted, helping up Orihime who had tear stains on her face. She wiped her eyes with her hand. "I'm okay, Cifer-san. The pain stopped hurting a while ago…" She rubbed her arms, her legs, and stomach. "It was an odd sensation. I thought that someone was kicking me everywhere." She looked up at Ulquiorra. "What about you?"

"It felt like something was going to rip through my back and my head." Orihime winced at his answer.

Megumi ran over to Toushirou. "How are you feeling?"

"..." In an unusual fashion, he held her closer to him as if craving for warmth. "...Cold…"

"Hitsugaya-san?" His eyes were glazed and worry permeated her mind. She held him closer, rubbing his back to warm him up a little. "Hitsugaya-san?" She called out to him a few times, hoping that he would snap out of his condition.

"How odd. He should be relatively back to normal by now." Mayuri's hologram walked over to the two. Ichigo and Rukia jumped back in surprise and shock. Orihime grabbed onto the calm Ulquiorra as she stared at the hologram in absolute horror.

"Hm?" Mayuri scanned the faces of everyone. "Ah, such children. I suppose you are right to be scared in my presence." He gave another long laughter before taking a closer look at Toushirou.

"What's wrong with him?" Megumi frowned and locked eyes with the hologram. Her rose pink hair feathered down her face, softening the seriousness and frustration on her face.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Calm, child. He's not dying."

She sighed and looked up at him once more. "Then tell me what the hell is wrong with him."

Mayuri muttered a few things under his breath. His eyes widened in surprise. "He should have been born in my time. How fascinating. I would have loved to experiment on him." He grinned, showing off his bright golden teeth.

"What are you talking about?"

"Quiet, _onna._ " He continued to grin and chuckle under his breath. "This boy. He's a genius. It's a shame that no one else can appreciate his strength and power at the moment, except for me."

"What…?" Megumi stared at him in disbelief.

Mayuri then began checking on everyone else one-by-one, murmuring to himself on how it was such a disappointment that it was not time for his body to be released to the land of the living and how he was so lucky to have found so many great specimens. "Two... No, three powerful beings… A fascinating power… A rarity..." Disappointment then lingered in his facial expression for a couple of minutes. He finally threw his hands up in the air. "Nemu!"

Once again, a gust of wind blew in the room, causing everyone to close their eyes, except for Toushirou. In seconds, Nemu appeared in the spot that she was last seen. The wind calmed down and faded away. "Yes, Mayuri-sama."

"Take them back to where they belong." Mayuri watched them once more with a dispassionate gaze as though he was done being mesmerized by his new discoveries.

"Wait! You still haven't answered my question! What's wrong with Hitsugaya-san? Why do you call him a genius? What does this stupid necklace have to do with the tomb in _Arashi Rikujou_? How did Kuchiki Byakuya know that we would eventually come to this tomb in advance?!" Megumi cried out in frustration.

" _Onna."_ His exasperated tone took on a new level of expressing his annoyance. "I told you that you're asking the wrong questions."

The gust of wind began to pick up around the group. "That's just bullshit! There must have been at least one question that you could have answered!" Megumi angrily said. She held Toushirou protectively.

"I suppose I can reward you for your great efforts." The sarcasm was strong in Mayuri's voice before turning serious in his next set of words. "The future is the past and the past is the future. You will find the answers to your questions during your journey in time… So do not stop your pursuit at the final tomb because there is more in store for the ambitious seekers."

"Have a good rest of the trip." Nemu then bowed to them as the wind finally swirled around them like a tornado.

Everyone shut their eyes, holding onto the closest person they could find, and braced themselves for the strong wind. In seconds, the strong gust dissipated. The warm sunlight and the gentle yet cool wind blew against them instead.

"What…?" Rukia gaped at the scenery. "We're back…"

"The dead-end." Ichigo muttered.

They had somehow ended up once more in the dead-end area of the non-golden leaf pathway.

"How did we get back here?" Orihime cried out in disbelief. "Was it all a dream?!"

"I don't think it was a dream…" Megumi whispered as she touched the necklace around her neck. After a few seconds of tense silence, Toushirou finally groaned when his eyes cleared up. "How are you feeling now, Toushirou?"

"Terrible." His throat sounded parched. "I'll be better once we head back to the hostel."

"Then that's what we'll do." She tiredly smiled at him. Turning to the others, she said, "Let's head back now, shall we?"

Once everyone nodded in agreement, Ichigo and Ulquiorra helped Toushirou on his feet, supporting him as they began walking back. Meanwhile, Rukia stabilized Ichigo's balance by holding onto his arm.

"Meigetsu-san?" Orihime called out to Megumi during their walk.

She faced the female technologist. "Yes?"

"Do you think we'll have fewer problems in our next trip?"

"..." Megumi furrowed her eyebrows. "I honestly don't know, but I hope we won't have as many."

Orihime nodded. "Me too."

"Well..." Megumi gave her a small smile. "For now, let's just hope for the best."

* * *

 **Thank you to everyone who story alerted my story:** **Kgvision and RageGoat.**

 **If you liked what you read… Then please review? I would be really happy to hear your thoughts. :)**

 **Thanks!**


	5. Journal Entry 2 - Doku Mori

_**Warning: I am not an archaeologist or a tomb raider. Please excuse any inaccuracies (if there are any) in the story. Also please take into consideration that I am merely taking a creative license.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach** **.**

* * *

 _Fifteenth Day of the Fourth Month, Thirteenth Year of Kunshu's Reign_

Toushirou, Rukia, and Ichigo aren't doing so well. They all have high fevers and it just seems bad in general. Thankfully, Orihime and Ulquiorra feel fine after a good night's rest… If they weren't… I wouldn't know what to do anymore.

Breakfast was simple again. Meat soup with bread. It was still tasty, especially after yesterday's fiasco. But it was nothing big. Just simple. But simple is nice.

Since I needed to do part of the official excavation today to some extent as yesterday's was just a preliminary exploration, Ulquiorra, Orihime, and I went back to the dead-end of the non-golden leaf pathway.

Strangely enough, we couldn't find the bush that I found yesterday at all… It's as if it never existed before. How could this happen?

We couldn't even find the Jizou Statue or the tunnel that I fell into either.

 _Was it all a dream?_

But that's impossible since everything was recorded in the video camera…and the pictures clearly showed that we were inside of the tomb yesterday too.

Speaking of which, I thought that the pain in my cheek would go away, but it's annoyingly getting worse.

Anyways, this spells bad news for me. All paths to the tomb in Doku Mori are lost and now I am not sure if it'll ever be discovered in the far future as well.

That reminds me…

I keep thinking about his words... Kurotsuchi Mayuri's words.

" _You are asking the wrong questions._ "

But my questions weren't wrong… At least, I didn't think they were wrong…

Maybe listing them down will help me figure it out.

-What is Reiatsu? Is that where the special power of the Shinigami soldiers come from?

-What is wrong with Toushirou? Why did Kurotsuchi Mayuri call Toushirou a genius?

-What does the necklace ( _Yami no Kage_ ) have to do with the tomb in _Arashi Rikujou_? ( _And also… Why can't I take it off at all? I tried everything but nothing works! And now I have to shower with this damn necklace on. Do you know how uncomfortable that is?_ )

And this is the most important question that remains unanswered:

 _How did Kuchiki Byakuya know that we would eventually come to Kurotsuchi Mayuri's tomb in advance?_

And then there is the answer that Kurotsuchi Mayuri gave me for one of my questions:

" _The future is the past and the past is the future. You will find the answers to your questions during your journey in time… So do not stop your pursuit at the final tomb because there is more in store for the ambitious seekers."_

Could that be the answer to the most important question of all?

But what could it possibly mean? And why were my questions wrong? ( _I still couldn't figure it out._ )

I suppose I won't have a clear answer for all of my questions until the end of this long expedition…

How frustrating...

 _quod erat demonstrandum._

Megumi

* * *

 **Thank you to tichnor6 who favorited my stor** **y!**

 **If you liked what you read… Then please review? I would be really happy to hear your thoughts. :)**

 **Thanks!**


	6. Journal Entry 4 - Arashi Rikujou

_**Warning: I am not an archaeologist or a tomb raider. Please excuse any inaccuracies (if there are any) in the story. Also please take into consideration that I am merely taking a creative license.**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach** **.**

* * *

 _Twenty First Day of the Fourth Month, Thirteenth Year of Kunshu's Reign_

The ancient character for the number, _ten_ , on the back of a sleeveless white haori _._ The dark black sleeve. A long katana. The unusually blue tinted ice that hung on the black hakama. The tan colored waraji and the white tabi socks.

 _Shinigami…?_

It felt like I was sinking deeper into a black ocean…

 _So tired. So sleepy..._

" _Megumi!_ " The voice that cried out my name… Filled with desperation and devastation.

 _Let me sleep..._

A long turquoise scarf flew into the air and dark red blood splattered onto the ground as the darkness wrapped around me.

Someone then whispered in my ear mockingly… _"It was never over. It was only the start."_

And that is when my dream ended. I can't remember the details, so this is the best representation of my dream. It's unfortunately all in fuzzy pieces. I feel like there was more to it, but I just can't remember… Even so, it's been plaguing my mind for the whole day. In fact, I have been getting variations of that same dream for the past few days. It's driving me insane because it keeps getting more vivid since the end of the preliminary exploration for the tomb in _Arashi Rikujou_. I know that I shouldn't pay much attention to a dream, but why is it bothering me so much?

Speaking of dreams… While Toushirou, Ichigo, and Rukia's fevers only lasted for that one day, vivid dreams or intense nightmares are plaguing everyone at night. Even though Ulquiorra doesn't say anything, the dark circles under his eyes tell me enough. Same with everyone else. For now, I won't say anything about my own. Since we all have enough problems as it is...

Anyways, while _Doku Mori_ was relatively hot and dry, _Arashi Rikujou_ could be described as a wetland. Endless rain, stormy clouds, rumbling of the thunder, muddy grounds, and dark green plants.

The villagers had warned us beforehand that there were a lot of cliffs and rapids. Of course, we looked over a map that the villagers gave us and marked the areas that we should avoid. In particular, we reviewed the known traps around the area. Some water puddles shoot spears of water through the victim that step in it. There are others that force the thunder to pierce through people if activated.

I, for one, know that the lake that surrounds the known tomb's location is extremely dangerous. While it seems harmless at first, the carps inside of the body of water shoot fast bolts of lighting at their targets. And if someone attacks the carp in some way, it can absorb the opponent's attack and direct it towards the person attacking them in the same second. Quite unusual, I know… The villagers called them the guardians of _Arashi Rikujou_.

 _Speaking of other traps..._

I heard from Orihime that some traps inside of the tomb created violent water waves inside of a room, while Rukia informed me of traps that materialized water tornadoes, destroying everything in its path. I, in particular, found a trap that created a cube of water to imprison me. Almost died from drowning inside of that cube too… That was seriously unpleasant.

And once again, after the preliminary exploration, the path to the tomb disappeared - never to be found again as if it was sealed away for eternity from the world… I'm starting to see a pattern that hopefully won't repeat itself for the next couple of tombs, but I have my doubts.

But more than that, I'm worried...

Toushirou won't talk to me in a normal manner. He stopped calling me Megumi. There's something almost completely different about him and yet...

It really does remind me of the past him…

 _Cold and distant. The biting tone in his voice… And the chilling gaze in his eyes._

I don't know what I did wrong, but I'm scared. Something happened during the trip and I can't remember at all. My memory… There are blanks.

 _...What have I done…?_

 _Ukitake Juushirou._ Thirteenth Captain. The look of pity in his eyes. ( _But why did he pity me?_ )

I thought it was a mere dream, but now I'm starting to believe that...just maybe… Just maybe none of it was a dream.

I miss Toushirou… No. I have to refer to him as Hitsugaya Toushirou now.

Hitsugaya Toushirou… What have I done to you?

 _No._

Ukitake Juushirou, what have you done to Hitsugaya Toushirou?

And what have you done to me…?

 _quod erat demonstrandum._

Megumi

* * *

 **Thank you to DavidC20OfficialWriter who favorited and story alerted my stor** **y!**

 **If you liked what you read, have any questions, or need any clarifications… Then please review? I would be really happy to hear your thoughts and would be happy to answer any questions you might have. :)**

 **Thanks!**


	7. The Tomb of Arashi Rikujou (Part 1)

_**Warning: I am not an archaeologist or a tomb raider. Please excuse any inaccuracies (if there are any) in the story. Also please take into consideration that I am merely taking a creative license.**_

 _ITALICS = DREAM_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach** **.**

* * *

Nineteenth Day of the Fourth Month, Thirteenth Year of Kunshu's Reign

 _Pitter patter. Pitter patter._

The sound of the rain hit the ground gently as they trudged forward through the muddy green path. Orihime pulled the raincoat's hood down, frowning at the mud grabbing at her boots.

Ichigo grunted and held onto the straps of the waterproof backpack tight. "When is it gonna stop?"

"The rain isn't too bad." Rukia commented.

Ulquiorra stayed silent, while Toushirou examined the map once more.

"We're close to the starting point of the main pathway to the tomb. Let's keep it up!" Megumi called out to everyone. She huffed a bit, fiddling with the necklace. The rumbling sound of the thunder kept her on her toes.

Puffs of breath could be easily seen from everyone. The droplets of rain lingered on their skin. From the corner of their ears, the crashing waves against the nearby cliff mixed in with the roar of the thunder. The occasional wind wailed loudly. When they finally reached the main pathway, Megumi sighed in relief. Nothing bad had happened so far. "Hitsugaya-san, where do we need to go next?"

"Apparently, we need to walk straight for half a mile and then turn right." He folded the map and put it back into his dry pocket.

"Then that's what we'll do." Ichigo murmured, motioning to everyone to follow him. "Let's get this over with."

The mud in the pathway became thicker and heavier for the feet. The green shrubbery mocked their inability to walk well. The clouds were grey and their path was slowly wrapped in fog. Megumi looked uncertain as to how long they walked and how far they had gone, but the calm expressions on everyone else's faces gave her some relief.

"I didn't know that this area had fog. The villagers didn't say anything like that." Orihime whispered to Megumi who agreed.

"At least, they gave us a map. We just need to be able to follow it well and then we won't have any problems." Megumi tried to convince herself that everything was just fine as she said that to Orihime. Suddenly, she felt something slimy wrapping itself around her leg inside of the mud. A chill went down her spine and goose bumps appeared on her arms. She could not move.

Orihime turned around with a questioning gaze. "Meigetsu-san? What's wrong?" Everyone else also faced her.

"I… I can't move. Something grabbed my foot." Megumi swallowed hard and wondered why she had such bad luck. Toushirou walked over to her and tried to pull out her leg from the mud with difficulty.

"Oi, do you need help, Toushirou?" Ichigo called out to him.

He glared at the bodyguard. "It's _Hitsugaya-san_ and no, I can do it." He tugged at her leg harder. Megumi winced from the pain. "Megumi, try to shake your leg from whatever is holding your foot." He whispered to her.

Megumi clenched her teeth and focused her strength in getting away from the thing that is wrapped around her leg. Unfortunately, that caused the thing to tighten its hold on her. She cried out in surprise. "Hitsugaya-san, it's stronger… The hold…"

"The villagers didn't tell us about this…" Orihime muttered under her breath. Worry pooled into her eyes.

Megumi shivered from the cold and fear. The thing was starting to move. "Hitsugaya-san. I think.. I think you should get away from me." Her voice shook.

"What are you talking about?" Annoyance lingered in his voice as he tugged at her foot with more strength than before.

"It's… It's-!" Before she could finish her sentence, she felt herself being thrown over the nearest cliff with her mind processing that Toushirou was also being thrown with her.

 _Fuck._

" _Toushirou/Hitsugaya-san!_ " " _Meigetsu-san!_ "

Black spots appeared in her gaze as she locked eyes with a shocked Toushirou.

 _It was all over._

* * *

The rain had stopped pouring for the last hour.

"What do we do...?" Orihime almost slid down to her knees in shock when Ulquiorra supported her from the side.

"I don't know." Rukia stood there.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "Well we can't stand here forever. Let's get moving to the main tomb. Knowing Toushirou, they'll get to the tomb as well."

"But they just went over a cliff!" Orihime cried out.

"From what I remember, you can't die from the height of that specific cliff. They were lucky that they were thrown in that direction. Don't you remember what the villagers said? They said that the cliff to the right near the main pathway is short in that no one can die from the height since a lot of shrubbery is there to soften their landing." Ichigo argued.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is right. We need to move forward and believe that they are alive and well." Ulquiorra murmured. "We need to be there at the entrance of the tomb, so that they will not worry about our whereabouts."

"Why can't we just go find them?" Rukia asked.

"Think about it, Rukia. The fog is too thick right now and they aren't even answering as we yell out their names. We already waited a good hour for them to answer back, but considering that they aren't responding back, they are either already on their way to the tomb or they were already thrown in a good distance away from us. We can't afford to get lost anymore." Ichigo sighed. "I would love to go search for them myself but it's my job to keep you guys safe. So let's head to the tomb. It's our best option right now."

Ulquiorra held Orihime closer to help her stand better in the mud. "As he said, it's safer for us to head to the tomb until the fog has dissipated and the rain has calmed down. By then, we can either look for the two if they still don't arrive at the tomb or wait a couple of hours at the tomb before heading back to the village. No matter what we decide to do, we first should head to the tomb."

"Then that's what we'll do. Let's go." Rukia pulled the hood over her head once more once the rain began to drizzle.

* * *

Toushirou's turquoise eyes flickered open. The dim sunlight brightened up the area that he laid down on. Normal grass that was covered in dew and the trees glowed healthily. He sat up with a dazed look before processing that he was still alive after being thrown off a cliff.

"You're finally awake. I was getting worried that you were actually injured from the fall." It was Megumi's voice but the way she was speaking was odd as though an older man was speaking to him. "How do you feel?" When he spotted her sitting on top of a boulder in an unusual fashion, he quirked his eyebrow at her. The smile that she held was so warm and free.

"I'm…fine." He answered a bit tentatively. "What about you?"

"I'm doing well! It's been a while… I mean it's nice out here." Her smile was still heartwarming. It was a smile that he never saw from her before. While Megumi showed many smiles to people, it was never one that was this open - not even to him who was her longtime work partner. The softness in her voice almost hurt him, reminding him of the distance between the two, despite their unusual habit of calling each other by first name.

 _This is not Megumi because she doesn't smile and speak like that. Softness and warmth are sides of her that she does not show to others._

That was a thought that he never wanted to acknowledge.

Burying such emotions to the corner of his heart, Toushirou's eyebrows finally furrowed in suspicion. A frown was etched in his expression. "Who are you?"

"I'm Megumi!" She jumped down from the boulder.

Toushirou slowly unsheathed his katana. "Liar. Megumi can't climb up a boulder. She would get too scared of jumping down from such a height."

"Then perhaps you can take a guess as to who I am?"

"..." Toushirou let his katana down to his side. "You're Ukitake Juushirou. Captain of the Thirteenth Division. One of the strongest captains known in history. Polite, well-respected, and highly honorable. Known to also have an illness. Am I correct?"

"Yes." Megumi smiled once more.

Toushirou frowned. "If you're honorable, then why did you take over Megumi's body?"

Sadness flickered in her eyes. "I have my reasons. One of them has to do with you actually."

"What do you mean?"

She shut her eyes as she said, "You hear it everyday, don't you?"

He watched her carefully from a good distance. "Hear what?"

Before Toushirou could process what had happened, Megumi placed her hand over his chest. "In your dreams… Something is calling for you… Something wants you to know its name." The electric blue tint in her eyes almost glowed unnaturally.

Toushirou pushed her away from him. "And how do you know that?"

" _You are awakening._ " She continued. "It wouldn't do to leave it alone. You'll end up killing everyone if you don't learn how to control it."

His eyes widened in shock. "Wha-"

"Come at me with a killing intent, Hitsugaya Toushirou." She raised her hand into the air.

"I won't hurt you while you're in Megumi's body!" He finally snarled in frustration. His katana was still in his hand.

"Then you will unfortunately have to die." The hardness in her eyes was apparent. "All waves, rise now and become my shield. Lightning, strike now and become my blade." The air around them sparked and suddenly, it forced him down to the ground. It was as if gravity became ten times stronger. " _Sougyo no Kotowari_." A single katana materialized in her hand.

"How…?" Toushirou struggled to stand up, using his own katana to balance himself. He breathed hard, unable to comprehend his current situation.

"I brought you two here for a reason. Time is a fickle thing. While time goes by normally outside of this area, time here loves to go by extremely slowly. One day in here is one minute outside." Megumi grasped the single blade with two hands as that blade slowly transformed into two blades. As the blade came apart into two, a large red rope at the base of the hilt lengthened and the silver metal square charms attached to the rope fell until all five were visible. A second blade jutted out from the inside of the main blade, extending back towards the hilt while running parallel to the main blade. "Are you ready, Hitsugaya Toushirou?"

"Why are you doing this?" He yelled out as he finally went into attack position.

"I will help you reach your full potential, Hitsugaya Toushirou, but if you do not reach it in time, then this girl will sadly die because of your stubbornness." She sighed to herself. "So please do your best since I don't want her to die."

"Get the hell out of her body then…" Toushirou muttered under his breath. His chilly glare sharpened at his enemy. "I don't care if you're known as an honorable person, but if she's going to die because you refuse to get out of her body, then I'll force you out, even if it means destroying your entire existence!" He let out a warcry, dashing towards Megumi with an intent to kill the being inside of her, but before anything could happen, his katana broke in half and flew into the air. The shock in his turquoise eyes grew stronger.

The cut that she made with her weapon was clean and precise. Her speed and technique surpassed any opponent he fought in the past and himself. "You will have to do better than that." An apologetic smile graced her lips.

Fierce anger and cold calculation swirled in his eyes. "My best katana…" He had found a worthy opponent in the worst possible time.

"Listen to the voice...and call out its name." Her voice seemed to be carried by the gentle wind when she spoke. "Listen and you will hear it."

Hitsugaya Toushirou found that he could no longer ignore her words.

* * *

" _Where am I…?" Megumi woke up from her sleep as she sat up from her spot. It was strangely dark but comforting._

" _You're finally awake." An older man with long white hair and green eyes kindly looked at her. He wore a long sleeved white haori with a crimson lining and a white obi. Underneath, he had the common Shinigami soldier uniform on. "I apologize for barging into your mind like this."_

" _It's...not a problem. Probably." She replied with a questioning gaze. "Who are you? You look oddly familiar…"_

" _It seems like your mind isn't completely awake. That would be my fault." He walked over to her and pat her head gently. "You can think about it for as long as you wish."_

" _Why do I feel so tired…?" She yawned, rubbing at her eyes._

" _Your Reiryoku is being used by me." He sat in front of her with a worried expression. "You have an unusual amount, but my Reiatsu is taking too much out of you. Unfamiliar pressure to your body and spirit."_

" _...Reiryoku… Reiatsu… Why does that sound oddly familiar too?" She blinked at him absentmindedly._

" _I'm sure it will come to you eventually." He was no longer smiling. An ancient exhaustion lurked in his eyes._

 _She finally held his face with her hands almost energetically. "I remember you now. You're Ukitake Juushirou… How could I not know you? You're a part of my research." She laughed freely. "What a dream this is…"_

" _If only you knew…" He smiled grimly._

* * *

Toushirou slammed against the tree. Groaning from the pain, he struggled to stand up again. Another water blast from Megumi's katana smashed into his stomach. He coughed violently. Black spots flickered in his sight. "Dammit…"

 _I am here._

"It's a shame… Is this where it will end…?" Megumi's voice lingered in his ears. The sadness that he heard angered him. "Your friend will cry a lot."

"N-no…" He managed to say. "She wouldn't cry." The surety in his voice stopped Megumi dead in her tracks.

 _So hear me…_

"She wouldn't cry because she would get angry when she finds out that I lost. She would furiously scream at me to wake up and then proceed to tell me to beat the bastard who killed me." His chuckle sounded breathy.

 _And listen…!_

"And then she would try to avenge me like the idiot that she is when she's mad…" An unusually open heart-wrenching smile tugged at his lips. "She would only cry when she forgives herself for not saving me."

"And that will be after avenging you…?" She asked him curiously.

"No. She would never forgive herself. Never…" He closed his eyes.

 _Say it..._

His breaths were becoming shallower. "So that's why…"

 _And call my name..._

"That's why I…" He struggled once more to stand up.

 _Boy, hear my cry!_

His turquoise eyes flared with life. "That is why I cannot afford to lose!" He raised his hand in the air. "Prepare yourself!"

 _My name is-_

The air around him grew colder. Thin layers of ice crystallized on the ground and on Toushirou's clothes until it shattered. Shards of the ice flew into the air as his clothes were replaced by the common Shinigami soldier uniform.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens!" In his hand, a ball of glowing light hovered over it. " _Hyourinmaru!_ " He then swiftly grabbed the katana from the ball of light by its light blue hilt and swung it once to test it, while admiring its unusual four-pointed bronze-colored guard and crescent-shaped blade that was attached to the hilt by a long metal chain.

"You finally heard the voice." Satisfaction lingered in her eyes. "It didn't take a full day either. So now we can sharpen your skills until it is proficient..."

"Now…" Toushirou's eyes had changed. A sense of never-ending and calculative calmness pooled into his expression. He suddenly vanished from his spot.

Megumi's eyes widened before she felt a wind coming from her side. Immediately, she blocked his attack with her weapon. "Even if you activated your Zanpakutou, you still cannot defeat me that easily." She threw him to the other side of the area with pure strength. He landed perfectly as if undeterred. " _Hohou…?_ " Surprise flickered in her eyes.

Without allowing him to rest, Megumi flash stepped behind him and brought down her two blades to slash at him when he easily blocked it with his long katana. Her eyes narrowed. He had disappeared in less than a second once more. Nevertheless, she remained calm, forcing her blades to clash with his blade from behind her. "Too obvious." She kicked his stomach, but found that he had vanished once more. " _He really is using Shunpo… When did he…?_ "

Once Megumi noticed Toushirou standing from afar, she smiled gently. "I'm surprised that you can use Shunpo already. It's not as fast as mine, but… I think this battle should come to an end."

"The end…?" Toushirou glanced at her suspiciously. "And I'm supposed to believe that because…?"

The smile vanished. The cold hardness was etched in her frown. "Because I will end it now." Megumi effortlessly flash stepped next to him with her blades against his throat. He stood still. She smiled once again. "And now it is over."

Toushirou calmly lowered his blade. "You win."

"It is not a matter of winning." She backed away from him and released her blades as they dissipated into the air. "Hitsugaya Toushirou. Now that you have heard the voice of your Zanpakutou… In order to control your power better, I will teach you a training method to help you properly converse with your Zanpakutou and to attain access to newer abilities."

"Why…?" Toushirou voiced out his confusion. "What will you gain from me controlling my powers? It has nothing to do with you."

"I wouldn't be able to stand watching you kill your teammates on accident just because you couldn't control your own powers." Megumi sighed. "That would be tragic."

"Alright." Toushirou frowned. "So what is this training method that you will teach me?"

She pointed to the katana in his hand. "First, return your Zanpakutou to its normal state."

He blinked in confusion. "Return it…?"

"Your Zanpakutou is currently in its _Shikai_ form, but it is unnecessary for the training method I am about to teach you."

" _Shikai…_?" He muttered under his breath. "And how do I do that?"

"Focus on your Zanpakutou and ask it." She smiled patiently. "There are various methods, but you will find the method that you like the most."

"Ask it…" Toushirou stared at the polish of his new katana and swung it once before sheathing his new Zanpakutou. Immediately, the katana let out a burst of small light, returning to its original form of a long normal katana.

"Good! Now…" Megumi sat down on the ground in a meditative pose. "Sit down with me and place your sheathed Zanpakutou over your lap." She summoned her katana again and stabbed the ground in front of her.

"..." He followed her words without question. Curiosity pooled in his eyes. "And then…?"

"You will then force your mind to become one with your Zanpakutou." She breathed in and out. "Essentially, you're calling out the true form of the powers of your Zanpakutou and when you enter a state of calm to enter the inner world of your Zanpakutou, you will engage them there. In other words, you will have to fight against your Zanpakutou spirit in a battle in order to learn new abilities."

He closed his eyes, following her breathing patterns. "Is that all?"

"No, you can also properly talk to your Zanpakutou spirit. However, you need to be aware of the fact that any form of injury sustained in the inner world while meditating can be reflected in the real world. You need to also know that you can be so deeply entranced that sustained wounds can easily be ignored." Megumi opened her eyes and watched over Toushirou's relaxed state. "So be very careful."

"...What is this training method called?" He murmured to her. She stood up from her spot.

" _Jinzen_. Remember it well and practice it everyday." Megumi then shook Toushirou right before he entered the state. He looked up at her in surprise. "In my tomb, you'll find a special badge inside of my stone coffin. This badge will allow me to train you further in your dreams. I'll need you to find it and keep it for me."

Toushirou also stood up and fixed the sash for his Zanpakutou's sheath. "So where inside of the coffin is it?"

"I will be holding it in my hands." Her expression turned deadly serious. "This is vital in preventing you from losing control of your powers, so remember to always have it with you if possible."

"But I-" He was about to retort when she interrupted him.

"I trust that you can do it." She quickly pat his shoulders before sitting down on the floor once more. With a big smile, she then waved at him goodbye. "I will see you later then."

"Wait!" Before he could say anything further, she slumped down to the ground - completely unconscious.

He soon sighed deeply to himself. "I have no choice, huh…"

Immediately, Toushirou laid down on the ground next to her in an exhausted fashion and looked up at the rare light blue sky. "...It's calm, isn't it? Megumi…?" No one answered him. He covered his eyes with his arm. After a couple of minutes of tense silence, the wind finally caressed his hair gently as he then stood back up with determination in his eyes.

He was once again prepared for the long journey ahead.

* * *

 **If you liked what you read, have any questions, or need any clarifications… Then please review? I would be really happy to hear your thoughts and would be happy to answer any questions you might have. :)**

 **Thanks!**


	8. The Tomb of Arashi Rikujou (Part 2)

_**Warning: I am not an archaeologist or a tomb raider. Please excuse any inaccuracies (if there are any) in the story. Also please take into consideration that I am merely taking a creative license.**_

 _ **NOTE: I felt uncomfortable with the way Megumi called Toushirou Toushirou, so I changed it to Hitsugaya-san in the previous chapters. (This won't matter to new readers, but for my old readers.)**_

 _ **In this chapter, you'll get a glimpse of the dynamic of Megumi and Toushirou's relationship.**_

 _ITALICS = DREAM_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach** **.**

* * *

" _How do you feel?" Ukitake smiled at Megumi._

 _She blinked and stretched her arms. "A bit depleted in energy for some reason but relatively fine."_

" _You're still recovering, so it makes perfect sense. You'll be fine when you wake up though." He gave a small laugh as she watched him curiously. He noticed her gaze. "Hm? What's wrong?"_

" _I just feel like this is a long dream… A bit too long for my taste." She murmured, looking around the dark zone. "It's so dark in here. Why is there nothing but you and me…"_

 _Pity flashed in his eyes before disappearing. "You and I have an affinity with each other. That is why we can talk to each other for this long."_

 _She tilted her head a little. "What do you mean?"_

" _You'll see in time." He ruffled her hair. Usually such an action would annoy her, but there was something so non-offensive about this man that she started to care less about what he did. In his eyes, she was a child and rightfully so._

 _She huffed. "If you say so…" He chuckled under his breath._

* * *

"Oi, Toushirou, why isn't she waking up?" Ichigo asked the exhausted archaeologist.

Irritation flickered in his turquoise eyes. "I don't know. I tried everything, but she wouldn't wake up. All I can tell is that she's just really tired and is recovering through sleep." He continued to chew on an energy bar.

"Well we're already at the lake… If we can find a bridge or something to cross it, we can enter the tomb." Rukia murmured as she used her binoculars to examine the area.

"It's such a strange tomb… All I can see is a huge white boulder looking dome. How are we supposed to go in?" Orihime tilted her head in confusion.

"Mnmm…" Megumi's electric blue eyes flickered open. A darker blue tint in her eyes dulled the color.

"Ah, Meigetsu-san! How are you feeling?" Orihime grinned as she helped her up.

"..." A frown was etched in her expression. She looked around her before answering the female technologist. "Fine."

Toushirou glanced at her strangely, but did not voice out his thoughts. Instead, he stood up and walked towards the lake. "Guardians of _Arashi Rikujou_ …"

Megumi stood up and began walking towards the lake casually as well.

"Meigetsu-san? Where are you going?" Everyone glanced at her once they heard Orihime call out to the female archaeologist.

"Into the tomb." She commented without turning back.

"We're supposed to go in together, Meigetsu-san." Rukia pulled at her arm.

Megumi's expression was empty and distant. "Then follow me."

Startled, they stared at her. "You already know how to avoid the guardians of _Arashi Rikujou_ and enter into the tomb?" Rukia asked.

"Yes. Kurotsuchi Mayuri told me." She held the necklace in her hand before continuing her walk. "Now then…" Her eyes flickered towards the group. "Are you going to follow me? Or are you going to sit there like fools…?" A shiver went down Orihime's back as she stood closer to Ulquiorra instinctively.

"We'll follow you." Ichigo replied as he gathered his bag. "Let's go, everyone."

Megumi stood at the edge of the lake, staring down into the depths of the dark blue lake. "..." She then took a step forward into the lake.

"Meigetsu-san!" Orihime cried out, but she stopped once she saw Megumi not sinking. "...Huh?"

"If you look carefully, there are clear steps inside of the water." She explained. "Now follow me."

Everyone took the steps that she took carefully. Bewildered, Orihime looked at Megumi with admiration. Rukia narrowed her eyes, focusing on the steps she was taking. Ichigo and Ulquiorra calmly followed. Toushirou glanced at Megumi with more suspicion.

Suddenly, a large carp jumped out of the water, targeting Megumi with a bolt of lightning coming out of its mouth. Her eyes narrowed by a slight centimeter and she bent her knees a little, preparing herself for the attack.

"Meigetsu-san! Look out!" Rukia cried out. Before Ulquiorra could shoot the carp with his gun, the carp had disappeared. "Where did it…?" She glanced down into the water, searching for the missing carp.

"How...?!" Orihime gaped at the carp that Megumi was holding her hand. "But it was at a good distance from us…"

"Was it just me or did she disappear for half a millisecond from her spot?" Ichigo murmured to Toushirou.

"What you're thinking is probably correct, Kurosaki." Toushirou glared at the Megumi standing before them. "She did disappear."

" _It is not allowed to defy me_." Megumi whispered to herself, pulling it by her side as she continued onwards. When she found that no one was following her, she turned around. "Aren't you coming?"

"Ah, yes. We'll be right there." Orihime laughed nervously. Once Megumi reached the dome, she threw the carp back into the water. When the rest of the group finally gathered around the white boulder dome of the tomb, they touched the wall, trying to find a trigger mechanism to open a hidden pathway or door.

"Oi, Toushirou, is there nothing in your research about this?" Ichigo glared at the wall.

His eyebrow twitched. "It's _Hitsugaya-san_ and no. We only have information about the captain." Toushirou did not make a move to help, standing next to the wall with his hand on it, and only kept a close eye on Megumi's actions.

Megumi then stood in front of the tomb with a blank gaze. "It's here."

"Did you say something, Meigetsu-san?" Orihime walked over to her.

She placed her hand on the wall. "It's here…" Megumi's eyes glowed unnaturally for a brief second. Her necklace began floating as the eye faced the wall. When a light shot from the eye to the wall, Megumi's hand glowed as well.

"What the hell…" Ichigo backed away from the tomb when the ground began to shake violently.

"Grab something!" Rukia cried out as everyone stumbled to the floor. Toushirou unsheathed his katana and stabbed the ground. Ichigo grabbed Rukia, while Ulquiorra tightened his hold on Orihime as they both mirrored Toushirou's action.

"I thought this place doesn't get earthquakes!" Orihime yelled out.

Ichigo clenched his teeth. "Must be a mechanism or something!"

When the light finally faded away from the necklace and Megumi's hand stopped glowing, the rumbling of the ground stopped. Megumi then took a step back, allowing the wall to reveal a hidden path into the tomb. A rectangular portion of the wall disappeared.

"This feels too easy." Ulquiorra commented. Ichigo gave a curt nod in agreement.

However, Megumi faced the two bodyguards. "There is no catch. _This place was made for us to pass easily_. Nothing is a mistake or an accident."

Alarms rang in everyone's mind. "What do you mean by that, Meigetsu-san? It's as if you know everything." Rukia locked eyes with her.

She blinked and tilted her head. "That is what Kurotsuchi Mayuri told me."

Ichigo walked over to her with an unhappy expression. "Then why haven't you bothered to tell us from the start?"

"Because there was no reason to. We will eventually go through all of the tombs anyways, so what is the point in telling you that?" She ignored him and took a step into the tomb.

Rukia pulled her out by the arm. "That might be true, but we are a team. It's your obligation to tell us anything that has to do with the tomb when you remember."

"If that is what you want, but it is not a part of the contract that I signed. However, I will still keep that in mind." Megumi locked eyes with Rukia and then pulled her into the tomb. "Let us move forward."

* * *

" _Nee, Ukitake-san..." Megumi hugged her legs. "Why is this dream so long? Why is it so dark in here?"_

" _That…" Ukitake quickly stood up. He seemed to stare at something from afar. Before she was able to look at what he was staring at, he smiled at her reassuringly. "Let's go." He held out his hand to her._

" _...Go where?" Hesitating, she reached out for his hand. After she stood up, Ukitake glanced at her worriedly. "What's wrong?" A sense of fear crept inside of her._

" _For now, we should run far from here." His grasp on her hand tightened. "It's too dangerous."_

" _Dangerous? What is so dangerous in my mind?" They began running away from the spot they sat at. "Isn't it my dream? Then there shouldn't be anything dangerous!"_

" _Don't turn around and face forward!" He called out to her. His long white hair swished in the air. The way he ran was very refined and swift. She admired it for a brief second before clearly sensing something terrifying behind her. Trusting the Ukitake in her dream, as she had heard how much of an honorable and kind man he was, she dashed with all of her strength._

* * *

"Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san!" Orihime cried out. No one answered her. "Where on earth did they go?"

"Inoue, we should move forward." Ulquiorra stood closer to her protectively. "We can't afford to stand here any longer."

"I know, but…" She held her hands together.

"Knowing Kurosaki and Kuchiki, they'll be fine. For now, we should look for the main tomb." Toushirou motioned for them to follow.

Megumi stood quietly, watching the three carefully. When they reached her location, Orihime held onto Megumi's arm, but in seconds, Megumi had shaken off her hand. "You're not a child. Don't hold onto me like that." Disgust pooled into her eyes. "Grow up."

Orihime almost jumped back in surprise. "But you said…" The empty cold inside of Megumi's eyes chilled Orihime. "Okay." She silently looked at the female archaeologist with suspicion.

"It's this way." Megumi walked into another room, but the moment Toushirou stepped into the room, a wall immediately appeared, blocking the entrance for the other two.

From behind the wall, Orihime's voice faded away. " _Meigetsu-san! Hitsugaya-san!_ "

"Try to find the main tomb, Cifer! Inoue!" Toushirou yelled out to them. Once he heard an affirmative from the two, he calmed down for a split second, turning his attention towards the emotionless Megumi. The anger swirled in his eyes. "We've played your game for too long. What do you want from us? From Megumi?"

"Are you blaming me for their incompetence?" Megumi tilted her head. "It's not my fault that they were incapable of following me correctly."

"Who the hell are you…?" Toushirou grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakutou. "No matter how much I think about it, I can't figure out who you are. So tell me. What is your identity?"

Her lips widened into an unnatural smile. "I am Megumi."

"No, you're not." He slowly unsheathed his katana.

"Perhaps." She tapped her lips thoughtfully. "I am not _your_ Megumi, but I am Megumi. Just like how she is me, I am also her. We are one of the same."

"How the hell is that possible? Megumi doesn't have Dissociative Identity Disorder." He gritted his teeth in frustration. "There are no signs that even show that she has it."

"Believe what you want." Her unconcerned tone unnerved him. Indifference was etched in her expression. "I became a part of her ever since we met."

He noted the word that bothered him the most about her claim. "We...?"

"Enough about me." She blinked. "We should talk about you instead." Megumi casually strode towards him in a purposeful manner. He held his katana tightly, but when she reached him, her hand clasped around his hand that held the blade effectively. He stilled. Multiple emotions flashed in his turquoise eyes. "Why are you so affected?"

"What…?"

She leaned forward a little. "Why does this close distance affect you so much?" He glared at her until he realized that he was fully paralyzed. _This_ Megumi had done something to his body.

"It does not." He whispered.

Megumi's other hand cupped his cheek delicately. He almost shivered at the sudden change in temperature of his skin. "What is so fascinating about this girl that you feel such emotions for her?"

He snarled. "I don't feel anything for her."

"You cannot hide anything from me. It is impossible for you to do so." She tilted her head innocently. "But if you don't feel anything for her, then that is good. Emotions are useless and unnecessary in the path for power."

"Meigetsu, give Megumi back her body." Toushirou's eyes darkened.

Megumi finally let go of his hand and took a step back. "And there we go… An anomaly."

"What do you mean?" He immediately backed away from her.

"Why do you call her Megumi? Why do you call her by her first name?" She tilted her head. "I can sense it. I can hear it. Your thoughts and your wishes… You want her to call you by your first name, but something is stopping you."

"What's wrong with calling my work partner by her first name?" His gaze chilled. "And nothing is stopping me. There is just no reason for making her call me by my first name. It's not like I let anyone else call me by my first name."

"Perhaps." The odd smile on her face widened. "But the warmth in your eyes… People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul and I find that to be quite true."

His stance appeared relaxed, but it was actually tense. "What do you mean?" His voice was soft and firm.

"When I observed you through her eyes, while you tried to hide how you felt for her, your feelings were reflected in your eyes when you thought that she wasn't looking. The warmth, the longing, and the caring that you feel for her. Do you truly believe that she would not notice?"

"That…" He paused and stared down at the ground. He was speechless.

"How unpleasant." Megumi sighed, facing the wall instead and ignoring him. "You should drop all emotions for her since she would never feel the same way as you. In fact, she wouldn't care if you died. After all, you're just a means to an end."

Something painful twisted at his heart. He controlled his expression well. "I told you that I feel nothing for her."

"As long as she attains the results needed for her research, she wouldn't mind sacrificing you if it's necessary. Why else do you think that she calls you by your last name? Lack of affection on her part." Megumi touched the wall with her hand. The air grew colder. Thin layers of ice appeared on the ground and continued to spread until it reached the walls. "And I would know because I am her and she is me. I can see the deepest parts of her mind-"

 _Thwack!_

Parts of the stone wall crumbled down as Toushirou stabbed the wall with his Zanpakutou. His turquoise eyes flared fiercely. " _Shut up._ "

"Somewhere inside of you believe that my words are correct and that is why you cannot handle the truth. That is why you react with anger and frustration, lashing out at me. Unable to control yourself when it comes to her..." Ignoring the sudden heaviness in the air pressure, she continued. "Well the side of you that believes me is right. You have no chance. After all, there was a reason why people avoided you as if you were a monster. White hair, turquoise eyes, and a cold attitude. Why on earth would Megumi like you? It's obvious that she just wanted to take advantage of you and that's it."

Toushirou flash stepped in front of her. His Zanpakutou was against her neck. "She isn't like that… So don't you dare degrade her in front of me like that." His gaze turned even colder than before.

Her electric blue eyes held no sign of worry. "And how do you know that? Can you read her mind?"

"I trust her." His grip on his katana tightened.

They stared at each other, daring the other to make a move. A thin layer of ice began to crystallize on her neck. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No." He murmured. "I won't."

"Is that so? In that case…" She then grabbed his collar and pulled him towards her. A gust of wind swirled around them and in seconds, they had disappeared in the room that they were in earlier.

* * *

" _Ukitake-san!" Megumi screamed as something grabbed her foot. "Not again! Oof-" She fell to the ground, letting go of his hand._

" _Meigetsu-san!" Ukitake summoned a katana in his hand and slashed at whatever grabbed her. "Hurry!"_

 _Before she could get up once more, it wrapped around her waist and threw her backwards. She let out a high-pitched scream, rolling on the ground roughly. A black shapeshifter began to absorb her. Struggling, she pulled at the ground and shook herself to get out of its grasp, but the black monster held onto her like glue. "Ukitake-san!"_

" _Wait for me!" The long haired man flash stepped next to her and hacked away at the monster. "Meigetsu-san, don't give up!"_

 _Unfortunately, it only grew in size, overwhelming the two. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she felt that it was the end of her life._

 _Even though it was just a dream…_

 _A mere nightmare._

* * *

Bewildered at how a sudden gust of wind like the one in Doku Mori had taken them to another room, Toushirou glared at her, pushing her away from him. "What is this room?" He leveled his Zanpakutou at her. A wave of calm washed over him.

Condescending mirth lurked in her eyes. "It's the main tomb. Weren't you looking for it?" She then walked over to the tomb and easily took off the cover of the coffin with one hand. "Now then…" Pulling a badge from Ukitake's corpse's hands, she stared at it for a brief moment before throwing it at Toushirou.

He caught it effortlessly and stuffed it in his pocket. "How did you know that I was looking for this?"

"That is for me to know and for you to find out." Megumi smiled unpleasantly. "Nevertheless, it fulfills my purpose."

"What do you mean?"

"If you try to get closer to Megumi, I will put her in grave danger as punishment. You will soon see as an example... So you must do your very best to detach yourself from such useless emotions and attain the power that you are meant to master. The faster, the better…" She leaned against the coffin, crossing her arms. "Since you do not believe that she thinks of you in the lowest way possible and since you do not believe my words at all, this is the best method to take."

"Why are you doing this…?" He questioned her motive. Shock and disbelief flickered in his eyes.

"To ensure that you reach the full potential of your power." The seriousness in her expression caught him off guard once more.

"Just for that…?" He could not believe what he was hearing. Because he had to reach the full extent of his power, he was not allowed to be close to his work partner. He was not allowed to be close to Megumi anymore. The thought of no longer being allowed to be comfortable around her caused a sense of loneliness and emptiness inside of him.

She sighed and took a step forward. "Now then… Would you like to have your Megumi back?"

"..." He watched her cautiously.

"Remember and heed my words well, Hitsugaya Toushirou." Before he could say anything else, Megumi closed her eyes.

In the next second, her electric blue eyes flickered open. She almost staggered but caught herself. Confusion soon pooled in her eyes. "Hitsugaya-san…?"

Just hearing her call him by his last name made him twitch uncomfortably. He briefly wondered if he really did believe the other Megumi's words in the deepest part of his heart. However, he instantly erased those thoughts when he noted the innocence in her expression. He took one small step towards her and then stopped. As he gazed at her, Hitsugaya Toushirou, for once, wanted to call out her name and hold her tightly in his arms to confirm that she was really there.

"Where are we?" Scratching her head, she examined the room in awe. Taking a few steps around, Megumi finally understood where she was. "How are we already inside of the tomb?" Even though Toushirou stayed quiet, the excitement in her voice was quite obvious.

Toushirou's grip on his Zanpakutou quickly tightened. He faced the floor to assure that Megumi would not be able to see the growing anguish in his eyes. He found that he could not force himself to join her in her excitement at all. While he was contemplating on whether to take the other Megumi's warning seriously, he clenched and then unclenched his fist.

Megumi then chuckled under her breath as if remembering something noteworthy. "I had this really odd nightmare…where I met Ukitake-san and this black thing tried to eat me or something. It was really creepy. I'm glad that it was only a dream though." When she still heard nothing from him, she glanced at him questioningly. "What's wrong?"

Finally reaching a conclusion, he resolved himself. "Meigetsu."

Just that single word caused alarms to go off in her head. A terrible premonition soaked her thoughts. "Why are you suddenly calling me Meigetsu, Hitsuga-"

"We're only work partners. There's no need to call you by first name." He gritted his teeth, oppressing his real emotions and forcing out fake signs of distaste for her.

"That... That might be true, but…" He regretted looking up at her. Sadness and hurt reflected in her eyes. "I thought… I…" She glanced down at the floor, processing the situation, before looking up at him. Her eyes soon became emptier than before. Just as he had been deeply hurt by people in the past, she had been as well, so when they established a good emotional connection with each other, he had taken on the habit of calling her by her first name. She had inwardly accepted this change happily, feeling a little closer to her trustworthy work partner.

"Enough." Toushirou managed to say. He rearranged his face into a neutral expression.

"Is it because I never outwardly showed my appreciation for you? Is it because I never called you by your first name? I know that I'm pretty socially awkward and while I made great improvements in handling the social side of life, I don't readily show affection to people like a normal female, but I do appreciate you a lot, Hitsugaya-san." She held onto her arm tightly. "I was really happy when you called me by my first name and-"

He continued his cool facade, despite the small satisfaction he felt in knowing how she felt about him calling her by first name. Her words only reinforced what he knew about her and why he completely trusted her. "Don't act familiar with me. We're nothing but work partners, so do continue to call me by my last name with the proper honorific form. That is the line we should have set from the very beginning." He almost wished he had not interrupted her, just so that he could hear the rest of how she felt towards him.

If it had been anyone else, she would have taken it in a stride, but this was someone who she believed was close to her. The sudden change in behavior for no reason and the lack of a proper explanation brought no closure to her. Anger finally sparked in her eyes. "Hitsugaya Toushirou, while I would have accepted it without explanation from anyone else, I would have expected you to at least explain why you want to suddenly call me by my last name. Because we're work partners? That's such bullshit. Have I breached your trust in some way? Fine, but I don't really know how I did that. If you don't explain, then how am I supposed to know? I can't read minds!"

"I don't need to explain myself. It's what I want and I would prefer if you just accepted it." He sheathed his Zanpakutou, turning away from her.

"Toushirou!" The sudden blatant use of his first name caused his heart to skip a beat in pleasant surprise. That made some of his resolve to stay completely away from her dissolve a little. He slowly turned around to face her. Unexpected anticipation invaded his thoughts. "I don't want to just accept it because I-" Before she could complete her sentence, she yelped in surprise. A cube of water had suddenly absorbed her, imprisoning her inside of it. She quickly closed her mouth and banged hard against the wall of the cube desperately.

Toushirou froze for a second, recognizing that _this trap_ was the example that the other Meigetsu wanted to show him. " _Meigetsu. Damn you._ " He clenched his teeth, pushing away his hopes to the back of his mind, as he unsheathed his Zanpakutou and slashed at the cube, pulling her out of it. He then managed to force himself to not catch her, allowing her to fall to the ground harshly. She soon coughed hard and fell on her knees, scraping her skin roughly.

She sat there quietly, unable to look at him. He was glad for this since he felt that he would not be able to take it well if he saw her disappointed in any way. Unfortunately, the obvious tension that grew in the last couple minutes of silence hinted at the uncomfortable shift in their relationship. This new change in the dynamic of their work partnership would clearly put a strain between them.

Soon, they heard a high-pitched scream enter the room as an open pathway appeared on the wall. Orihime and Ulquiorra popped out of the hole, landing in the middle of the room. Their clothes were drenched wet and their hairs were in a mess.

"We finally found you two!" Orihime smiled brightly at the awkward two.

In seconds, they heard another scream. "Ichigo, you idiot!" It was Rukia. From the same open pathway, Ichigo slid out of it with Rukia on top. "Are you trying to get us killed for the upteenth time?!" She shook him violently.

"It's not my fault! It was either we die in there or we die elsewhere!" He also shook her violently.

"At least, warn me the next time you do something crazy like that! It's not like you didn't have the chance!" Rukia huffed before getting off of him. "I swear…" When she finally noticed everyone, her eyes brightened up. "Oh! We found everyone."

"Really?!" Ichigo flipped over and stood up. "Hey, everyone! All alive and well?"

Everyone smiled awkwardly in response. A tense silence filled the room.

"Um… Why don't we head back to the village?" Megumi suggested, standing back up, as she pulled at her shirt distastefully. "I think we did enough preliminary exploration for today."

"That sounds like a great idea, but how do we get out?" Rukia crossed her arms.

It was at this very moment when Megumi recalled a certain long-haired man in her dream telling her about how easy it was to leave his tomb. "Well… This might be a really off guess, but…" She walked over to the tomb and put her hands together, asking for forgiveness from Ukitake, before using her fingers to look for a button in his coffin. "Oh. I found it."

"What did you find?" Orihime walked over to her.

"It should be the button to let us exit the tomb." Megumi thanked the Ukitake in her dream and pressed it. Regret lingered in her mind the next second, scolding herself for her lack of caution and common sense. The floor had disappeared and became a tunnel-like slide, forcing everyone to slip and fall. She screamed, cursing the stars and heavens for making her believe in the Ukitake in her dream. " _I knew it was just a dream, dammit!_ "

It felt like an hour in the darkness before they saw a light at the end of the slide. The next thing they knew, they landed in a puddle of mud.

"Where are we…?" Ichigo sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"It looks oddly familiar…" Megumi squinted as she examined the area.

Orihime gasped in relief. "This is the beginning of the pathway to the tomb!"

"Your really off guess turned out to be right, Meigetsu." Ulquiorra commented.

Toushirou kept quiet as he stood up. He trudged onwards to the village without further comment. A pained frown etched in his expression. Everyone else followed after him quietly.

"Nee, Meigetsu-san." Orihime called out to Megumi hesitantly.

"What's wrong, Inoue-san?" She warmly smiled at her.

Orihime reached out and held Megumi's arm with relief in her expression. "Nothing. I'm just glad that you're back to normal again."

"Was I weird before?" Megumi held her cheeks with her hands in horror.

"No." Orihime laughed at her antics. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so." Megumi sighed to herself. Her smile momentarily faded away when she caught a glimpse of Toushirou's hard expression.

"Meigetsu-san?" Orihime looked at her curiously.

"Ah, it's nothing." Megumi laughed nervously. "I just want to take a shower already. It's a good thing that it's not raining right now."

"I agree. A hot shower and good food sounds absolutely wonderful right now." A dreamy gaze lingered in Orihime's expression.

They then laughed heartily with each other before catching up with the rest of the group.

* * *

 **NOTE: Now, you might be thinking, 'WTF? What does being close to Megumi have to do with getting in the way of becoming more powerful?' I have my reasons for this. You'll understand why in the later chapters.**

 **This will be the last chapter I'll be posting in a while since I have urgent things I need to do and because I want to write the next couple of chapters in advance before updating again. But I'll try to update as soon as I can though, so please do show me your support by reviewing, favoriting, and story alerting my story. :)**

 **Oh and flames are not welcomed.**

 **Thanks!**


End file.
